The Heroes of Time
by iheartgod175
Summary: The world of Hanna-Barbera is turned upside down when the Heartless invade and start wreaking havoc. Seven legendary and unlikely heroes from this world have received Keyblades, and are forced to band together and fight this threat. Only they can save their home, but can they succeed without succumbing to the darkness in their hearts?
1. Chapter 1: Huck and the Heartless

**A/N: **Before I start this story, I just want to give thanks to Jesus Christ for two things: one, that I am alive and well and two, for giving me this story idea, as everything I come up with comes from Him! Without His help, I never would have finished this. I give You the thanks and the honor, O Lord, right now, in Jesus' name! Amen!

What happens when you read too many Kingdom Hearts crossovers before Christmas break AND get on a nostalgia kick from watching old H-B cartoons? You get a story like this, that's what. I highly recommend reading "It's Kingdom Hearts, Charlie Brown" and S.P.D. Gold Ranger's W.I.T.C.H./Kingdom Hearts crossover series, starting with "K is for Keyblade". They are awesome, and inspired part of this story. I also have to give some thanks to CooperGal24, who designed the coolest looking Keyblades based off of the various worlds from Hanna-Barbera. She's on deviantART if you want to take a look at them. I already used two of them in the story after I asked her for permission.

Keep in mind, though. This will be, more or less, a one-shot. Unless demand (and my interest) is still there, I will leave this fic as a one-shot for now. If you like the story and want to continue it, you can contact me via PM and we can talk about it. I might still write scenes for it, though.

Anyways, I hope you like this!

* * *

Everything was peaceful in the worlds that make up Hanna-Barbera's shared universe. Everyone was living their normal lives, whether it was doing zany get-rich-quick schemes, meddling in someone else's business or saving the day by sheer dumb luck.

Yes, everything was peaceful…emphasis on _was_.

For though the residents of this universe didn't know it, dark forces were plotting to take it over...

* * *

_Unknown place..._

Three members of Organization XIII looked down at the large map spread out before them on the table. The worlds before them were filled to the brim with various creatures, such as talking dogs, cats, bears, lions, alligators and hyenas, with many humans spread between.

Xenahort looked at them all with an expression of vague interest. When Xenmas had called him to tell him that he'd found another universe that was brimming with hearts, he hadn't really cared at first. Now, seeing these worlds and creatures up close was making him have second thoughts.

"What kind of worlds are these?" Xigbar asked, looking at the map of worlds before him with a small amount of disdain.

"They're apparently ones we've forgotten during our quest," Xenahort answered, his eyes locked on one world that had a large, glistening city. A yellow feline dressed in a sharp purple vest and a hat was running from a police officer who was screaming bloody murder.

"So, why exactly are we looking at these worlds now? We already have the Princesses of Heart to give us strength!" Marluxia complained.

"Yes, we do. But these worlds have resources that we can use to our advantage. And from what I can see, they do not have any adequate military to defend themselves. I look forward to taking them," Xenahort explained, his features turning upwards into a cruel grin.

"…Very well. We'll see just how 'valuable' these worlds are," Xigbar relented.

His superior responded with an evil chuckle. "Oh, trust me. I have a feeling they will be very valuable indeed."

* * *

_Unknown place, at the same time..._

Gathered together in a dark corner, three men dressed in white robes sat together at a large table. The hood of their robes covered their faces to where only their mouths could be seen. These men sat together, going over pictures of seven certain creatures in this world. One of them was a blue-furred hound dog with a yellow hat. Another picture had a brown bear with a collar, a green necktie, and a green hat. The next had a yellow cat with a purple vest and a matching hat. The fourth was a white mustang dressed in Western clothes and a sheriff's badge pinned to his chest. The fifth was a rough and tumble looking man whose orange, black and blue suit looked prehistoric, while the sixth was a red haired man in futuristic clothes. The seventh was a teenager dressed in a white shirt with a blue collar, and an orange ascot hung from the shirt.

"Are these the Seven that will save this universe from destruction?" the first man asked. His voice was skeptical.

"Yes. These are most definitely the Seven that we have been searching for. The Keyblades have chosen them," the second man replied, his voice calm.

"So, out of all of the Seven," the third man started, his deep voice sharp as a diamond, "who do you think will receive their Keyblade first?"

There was a pause, and the second man pointed at the blue-furred hound dog. "He has a pure heart and a true soul. He would never leave or abandon his friends, and will stand up for justice. He's captured criminals in the past as well, while still staying true to his spirit," the second man replied. "I believe he will receive his Keyblade first."

"I am worried about this. Many a Keyblade Master we have chosen has gone off the path and has fallen to darkness, attempting to bring Kingdom Hearts about for their own purposes. Who's to say that he's not going to do the same thing?" the third man said.

"He is not perfect. Neither are we. We have made mistakes, errors in judgment and have given in to the worst of emotions. He will, undoubtedly, have some problems along the way, as well as the other candidates. But first, he must be awakened," the second man replied. "Tonight as he sleeps, he will undergo the Awakening process. Whether or not he passes the test will have to be seen."

* * *

_Iheartgod175 presents:_

_The Heroes Of Time (working title)_

**Tags:  
**Crossover/Adventure/Fantasy/Drama

**Posted: **January 13, 2015

**Rating: T** (Violent imagery)

**Summary**: The world of Hanna-Barbera is turned upside down when the Heartless invade, and legendary and unlikely heroes from across time and space have received Keyblades, band together and fight against this threat. Huckleberry Hound is one of the many who receives a Keyblade after the Heartless invade his world. When he encounters a similar situation elsewhere, he learns that he and six others have been chosen to save the universe from being swallowed by darkness. With the help of the mysterious Inner Circle, he and his companions-Yogi Bear, Top Cat, Quick Draw McGraw, Fred Flintsone, George Jetson and Fred Jones-begin their quest. But nobody said that this mission would be a cakewalk, and tensions and other dark secrets threaten to split the group. It's their job to drive away the darkness and restore balance...but can they complete this mission without succumbing to the darkness inside their own hearts?

**Disclaimer: **It should be obvious, but I'm not Joe Barbera OR Will Hanna, thus I don't own Huck, Yogi, Snagglepuss, Boo-Boo, or Top Cat. Also, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, as it belongs to Disney and Square Enix. And I also don't own any of the heroes' Keyblades: they are CooperGal24's, and she graciously let me use them. The only characters I own are the people who make up the Inner Circle.

* * *

***~CHAPTER 1~***

**Huck and the Heartless**

_This dream sounds mighty familiar…_

Yes, he was sure that he had had this dream before. The Manhattan skyline glittered before him, the rest of the city spread out before him like a tapestry…with two of his best friends at his side: Snagglepuss and Yogi Bear. In their hands-and in his own hand-were strange swords…or at least, he _assumed _they were swords. Yogi's appeared to be made out of tree bark, and Snagglepuss' appeared to be made out of gold. His sword appeared to be based off of a star motif, and its colors matched his fur and hat. All of their swords had long chains of metal dangling from the pommels. He looked all around him, and realized he was standing on a dock facing the Hudson River. The smell of rip fish filled his nostrils.

In front of him was a yellow feline wearing a purple vest and matching top hat. His expression was…angry, to say the least, and his black eyes were locked on him like a laser.

_Wonder what he's angry about? _He stared at the cat in confusion.

The cat raised his right hand, and in it was yet another strange looking sword. It was as yellow as the cat's fur, the blade curled to look like a tail. Three golden bells surrounded the tip of the blade. The blade began to glow with power, and the cat's gaze narrowed.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come and fight me already!" the cat challenged. "Or are you just jealous because I had a Keyblade before you did?"

"Jealous?" Huckleberry Hound didn't know what the cat was talking about. He was never jealous of anyone, and certainly not jealous of an overconfident cat. He then realized what the cat had just called his weapon. _What in the world is a Keyblade? _He looked at his sword, which shone a bright blue in the city lights. _This thing right here?_

He was about to answer the cat's challenge when a tremendous earthquake shook New York City, almost causing the dog to fall to his knees. At the sound of a massive _crack _resounding through the air, he looked upwards to see that the sky was literally falling. Everything around him, including his friends and the strange feline, vanished into thin air. The sky fell in large shards, and the Manhattan skyline crumbled like dust.

In a matter of seconds, Huck found himself at gravity's mercy as the ground melted under him. A scream pulled from his throat as he hurtled through the abyss below, the wind whipping through his fur and his heart pounding in his ears. The sky disappeared from sight, and all he could see was darkness.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally landed on something that resembled solid ground. He looked down and realized that this wasn't solid ground, but glass. Taking a small step forward, there was a bright light that illuminated the area, and hundreds of white doves took to the sky, revealing that he was standing on a large, stain-glass window. There was a picture of a blond haired young man wearing a white shirt with a blue collar and an orange ascot. Surrounding him were smaller circles painted with the faces of a man with rough looking hair and a goatee, a stylish redheaded woman with a purple headband, a maroon haired girl with glasses, and a goofy looking Great Dane with a blue dog collar.

Huck stared at the ground curiously. He was certain he had seen these people before…but where?

_"__So much to do…"_

Huck felt every hair on his body stand at attention at the watery voice that had whispered into existence. He looked all around him, but not a soul was there.

_"__So little time…"_

"Okay, this is gettin' weird," he muttered. He had more than a few questions for this mysterious voice, but before he could answer, it continued to speak.

_"__The door is still shut. Are you ready?"_

"I would be…if I knew what you were talkin' about," Huck answered, scratching his head in confusion.

His answer came not from the voice, but from three stone pedestals rising from the ground.

_"__Power sleeps within you," _the voice continued. There was a bright light that appeared over one pedestal, and a sword with a blue and gold guard materialized on the spot. There was a second flash, and a staff that was topped with a red hat appeared on the second pedestal. A third flash, and a large shield with a picture of a large oak tree appeared on the third pedestal. _"If you give it form, it will give you strength. Choose wisely."_

Huck looked at all the weapons around him, having a small idea about what the voice wanted him to do. Out of the three weapons, he had to choose one. But he was still confused. Why did he need to chose one? From what he could tell, the voice wanted him to go to war. He certainly wasn't a pushover when it came to protecting those he cared about, but he wasn't battle-crazy like some other people he'd encountered in the past. And what did the voice mean about power sleeping within him? He did have some talents, but he had no magic powers or great power levels.

He looked around at each weapon. "Now, if I were in battle, a shield and staff just wouldn't do for me. I'd need a sword in order to put up a fight against the enemy," he said, walking over to the first pedestal.

At that moment, the voice spoke again. _"The power of the Warrior: invincible courage, a sword of powerful destruction."_

Huck had just gripped the handle when he heard that. In an instant, he found himself transported to a wasteland with smoke raising into the air and fire blazing everywhere. Dead people were scattered all over the place, and he heard a strange voice laughing maniacally. People were running for their lives, terror in their eyes and screams tearing from their open mouths. Some of them were running towards him, hands waving about frantically.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" more than one person screamed.

Huck made to stop them, but rather than putting his hands out to halt their panicked running, his right arm, wielding a sword, came down upon a young female hound with flowers in her hair, the sharp blade aimed at her neck. In the span of a few seconds, her head was on the ground, and soon her body crumpled to the floor. Huck gasped in horror, and looked at the bloodied weapon with trembling hands.

_I did _not _just kill somebody, _he thought.

More people came his way, and his hand then reacted without his consent. Soon, the sword was covered in more blood as he started to slaughter innocent people fleeing for their lives. Much to his growing horror, he found that he couldn't stop himself. Even trying to halt his sword arm with his left hand resulted in him sending someone else's head flying. The sadistic laughter came again, and Huck realized that he recognized it: it was his _own _laugh.

_"NOOO!"_ The scream that had been bubbling up inside him escaped his throat as he scrambled backwards, dropping the sword. He fell down on his rump, tears filling his eyes as what he'd done sunk in...As quickly as that vision had appeared, it was gone, and he found himself sitting several feet away from the first pedestal. The sword was back on the pedestal, even though he had thrown it in his mad dash.

The sword was _most definitely_ not for him. He turned towards the second pedestal, got up and walked towards it. He prayed that another disturbing vision would not take over his senses this time.

_"__The powers of the Mystic: inner strength, a staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the path you choose?"_

He looked at the staff, feeling a lot more at peace with this one than he had with the sword. He looked at the staff, and in an instant he found himself in front of a group of powerful wizards. They shot powerful beams of light, and Huck made to raise his arms to protect himself. Instead, his right arm, wielding the staff, shot out and a wall of darkness sprang to life in front of him. The light disappeared on contact, and the wizards looked shocked. Despite himself, Huck felt his muzle pull upwards into a confident grin.

The next thing he knew, he was shooting fire, thunderbolts, ice spells and so many other attacks that the wizards were powerless to stop him. It was only when they were all vaporized from his fire spell that he remembered that he'd still have to kill people. The vision disappeared, and he found himself standing in front of the second pedestal.

Looking at the staff, it seemed to be less destructive than the sword, though he was curious about what the voice had meant by "wonder and ruin". At least he could control his magic if he got angry, rather than lose himself in battle and kill innocent people.

"This one definitely fits me more," he muttered. "I'm picking this one."

The staff vanished from his hands in a burst of light, and the voice spoke again.

_"__Your path, my friend, is set. But to choose this path, you must surrender another."_

Huck looked at the two remaining pedestals, which contained the shield and the sword, respectively. He was confused as to why the voice was telling him this. Would he be stronger if he gave up either? He walked over to the shield to see what the voice had to say about it.

_"__The power of the Guardian: kindness to aid friends, the power to repel all."_

Huck looked at the shield in his hands, and saw himself protecting innocents and his friends from a barrage of fire. When the vision disappeared, he realized that this was one path that he didn't want to give up, as he had many friends that he treasured and wanted to help if they were in trouble. If this shield represented loyalty to his friends, he knew he could never turn his back on them. And he certainly didn't want to trade that for a path of destruction and violence.

"I'm not choosing the path of the Warrior. I'd trade in a thousand swords to save my friends," he said.

_"__You have chosen the path of the Mystic. You have surrendered the path of the Warrior. Is this the path you choose?" _the voice asked.

"Yes, I do," he said. The sword and shield disappeared from sight, and the pedestals disappeared into the ground. All of a sudden, there was a deep rumbling sound, and Huck looked to see that the glass window he was standing on was starting to fall apart.

Huck turned and ran for it, but he didn't get far before the other side started to crumble in dust as well. Soon, he found himself at gravity's mercy once more, screaming in fright as he fell into darkness.

At once another shape came into view: another stain-glass window, but this one had the image of a man with black hair who wore an orange suit (of a sort) with a blue collar and tie. Surrounding him in an array of circles was a dim-witted looking blond haired fellow in a brown suit, a red haired woman with a necklace around her neck that resembled rocks, a red-haired infant with a bone in her hair that resembled some sort of decoration, and a white haired boy with a leopard print hat and holding a club.

When Huck landed on the window, the voice declared, _"You have now gained the power to fight! Use your powers to defend yourself and others from them." _In a flash of light, the staff returned into his hands.

_From who? _Huck wondered.

He soon got his answer in the form of a whooshing sound in front of him, and a black puddle formed at least a few inches away. It rose to form a small black creature with two small antennae and claws on both hands. Yellow eyes bore into Huck's black ones as it charged.

Huck, in a moment of panic, swung the staff outwards, knocking the creature back a few feet. This didn't deter it in the slightest, as it leapt at him once more. The hound smacked it back a few more times, though it did manage to hit him on the arm. With another whack, the creature disappeared into a burst of smoke.

"What in the world was that?" he asked.

_"__Look out!" _the voice called. At that moment, something tackled him to the ground, its claws digging into his back. He looked up and saw another small black creature on top of him. Soon, more creatures similar to the first one started to appear everywhere around him.

_I've got to get rid of these things! _He threw the creature off of him and hit it in the head, hard, with his staff. The creature disappeared in a burst of smoke, but that was when the other creatures started to make their move.

Huck prepared to swing the staff once more, but that was when he noticed that the hat ornament on it had begun to glow a bright blue. With the monsters closing in on him, he raised the staff high above his head in order to prevent them from grabbing it.

There was a _ping _as the staff shot a beam into the air. The creatures looked up, horror showing in their eyes as a thunderclap sounded. A second later, several streams of lightning bolts crashed down on their heads, vaporizing them.

Huck was amazed. "Well now, I certainly wasn't expectin' _that _to happen," he said, gazing at the staff. Upon hearing a shriek behind him, he realized that not all of the shadow creatures had been destroyed by the attack. He turned around to face it, but that was when it sank back into the ground.

And then it began to spread outwards, covering the ground he was standing on. Huck made to run, but the ground underneath him had turned into quicksand. In a matter of seconds, darkness filled his vision.

The next thing he heard was birds chirping. He opened his eyes and looked around to see that he was back in his house, and that it was mid-morning. He sighed. That was the craziest dream he'd ever had so far. Perhaps Pixie and Dixie were right about eating meat lover's supreme pizza before bed.

With renewed energy, he got up off of the floor, and had another surprise. His three friends, Yogi Bear, Snagglepuss and Boo-Boo, were in his house already. Yogi was helping himself to whatever was in his refrigerator, while Boo-Boo and Snagglepuss were reading books.

"Hey, fellas. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to be here so soon," he said, walking over to Snagglepuss.

The pink furred mountain lion looked up from his book and turned to him. "What's most important to you?" he asked, his tone monotonous.

Huck's answer hitched in his throat. Snagglepuss never asked random questions like that. Still, he didn't want to be rude, and he thought of what he really wanted in life.

"Hm, let's see now…my friends' safety and happiness is important to me," he said.

"Friendship…is friendship really such a big deal?" Snagglepuss pondered, still in monotone.

"Snag, what in the Sam Hill is wrong with you?" Huck sighed.

"What do you want out of life?" Boo-Boo piped up. His voice was also monotonous.

"Well...that's kind of hard to answer. I guess I'd like to have the adventure of a lifetime," Huck answered.

"The adventure of a lifetime, huh?" Boo-Boo said, and then returned to his book.

Huck looked at Yogi, who was fixing himself a large sandwich. Well, at least _he _was acting normal. "Yogi, do you know what's going on with Snag and Boo-Boo?" he asked.

"What are you most afraid of?" Yogi asked.

That made Huck do a double take. He had never known Yogi to sit down and ask serious questions about anything, ever. After recovering from his shock, he answered with, "Well…I'm afraid of failing my job, and losing my friends because of it."

"Failure really scares you, huh?" Yogi said.

"Well, of course it does!" Huck shouted, irritation in his voice. "What in the hay is going on with you people?!"

Neither of his friends answered. Huck was about to start shouting again when there was a massive thunderclap that shook the walls of his house and sent him to the ground. When he looked up from his spot on the ground, his friends had disappeared into thin air.

_"__Your friends are important to you, you want to have the adventure of a lifetime, and you're afraid of failing and losing your friends," _the voice spoke, listing everything Huck had told his friends. _"Your adventure starts sooner than you think, my friend. Keep steady on the path…and no matter what, stay true to yourself."_

Huck was confused, but that was when another massive thunderclap sounded and the roof started to cave in. Rather than having mortar and bricks fall from the sky, everything melted into shards of dust, and soon the ground started to split open. For the third time, Huck fell through the floor, the house fading into nothingness and the sky above flashing with lightning…

* * *

The roaring winds and the crashing thunder threatened to rip Huck's house right off of its foundations. The blue-furred hound in question burst out of sleep, his heart thudding in his chest and sweat on his forehead from the dream he'd just had. He looked around, thankful to be back in his own house.

"That settles it. I am _never _eating the meat lover's supreme pizza before bed again," he groaned, his head hurting.

At another crash of thunder and the sound of wind beating on the walls, he stumbled over to the window, pulled back the curtains and peered outside. The wind whipped violently through the trees, pushing some down to the ground and ripping one from its roots. The sky was black and midnight blue from the storm, which flared to a lighter indigo shade as lightning flashed.

Huck's eyes were wider than before. "Well, I'll be. It must be a hurricane goin' on out there! No wonder I heard all that thunder," he said to himself. "And if I'm not mistaken, it _is _hurricane season on this side of the United States…"

A loud crash from the backyard startled him, and he went to the closet to get out his raincoat and rain boots. With some difficulty (due to running out while doing so), he managed to get them on. He flung open the door and had to grab a hold of the side railing of the porch steps to avoid getting thrown into the refrigerator due to the force of the wind.

He didn't have to look far to see a large pine tree halfway inside his shed. The shed, which he used to keep all sorts of random knickknacks, looked like a half-crushed soda can under the weight of the tree. The whole backyard was also a mess, with electrical poles down and his other supplies scattered all over the place.

_And here I thought it was going to be a little storm,_ Huck thought. "Well, no use sitting around here. I've got to get some shelter, and fast!" he said.

He got up and was about to close the door when he heard screaming. At first, it was barely noticeable with the wind that was roaring in his ears, but he could distinctly make out two voices calling "HUCK! HELP!" over all the noise.

He looked to his right, and saw two small mud covered rodents with large ears running towards him, though the wind was pushing them back slightly. Their faces were full of terror.

"Pixie! Dixie! What in the blue blazes are y'all doing in this hurricane?" he asked, scooping them up.

"Get us out of this storm and we'll tell you!" the two mice responded.

"Alright, just let me close the door," he replied, and he slammed the door shut, leaving him and the two mice in the dark house. The wind continued to beat down on the door.

Huck placed Pixie and Dixie on the kitchen counter and handed them both some towels to dry themselves off with. After they were done, he asked, "Now, why were you two calling me for help?"

The two mice looked at each other and then at him. "Oh, it's horrible, Huck. Just horrible! We were minding our own business, just messing with Mr. Jinks as usual," Dixie said.

"And then, out of nowhere, these black things rise up out of the ground and start attacking him!" Pixie finished. "He tried to fight back, but they knocked him out and sunk into the floor with him. I don't know what would have happened if we didn't get out of there in time!"

"That's not good. That ain't good at all. We need to figure out what those things are, and where in the world they came from," Huck said, his expression twisting with concern.

Pixie started to say something, but that was when Dixie screamed in horror, pointing at something behind Huck. Pixie followed his brother's line of sight, and his mouth dropped open in horror. Huck looked at them, startled out of thought by Dixie's scream.

"What're y'all staring-"

"HUCK, BEHIND YOU!" the mice echoed, scampering to the other side of the kitchen.

Confused, Huck turned around to see what they were talking about. What he saw made him wish he hadn't.

It was the strangest creature that he had ever seen, and that was saying something, since he'd met a fair share of odd creatures in his time. But even so, he couldn't even begin to comprehend what kind of creature sat before him now.

Rising from the floor like a ghost, its body was black, practically blending in with the darkness in the house. It was almost about the same size as the hound, with two antennae sticking out of its head. A yellow abyss locked eyes with Huck, no emotion in its face whatsoever. It also had no mouth, though it did make an odd screech.

Nothing could quell the terror that filled Huck's soul as the creature raised a clawed hand, ready to cleave him in half. Thinking fast, he picked up a cookie jar and hurled it at the creature, sending it crashing into the wall. He spun on his heel and grabbed Pixie and Dixie by their tails, running for the front door. The two mice squealed in protest, but Huck didn't care. He had to find a way out of the house, _now_, or else more of those things would show up.

Something about those things were nagging him...they looked eerily familiar somehow, and he could have sworn that he had fought them before...

He was startled out of his thoughts when two more strange creatures showed up, blocking the front door. These creatures, however, looked nothing like the one he'd seen in the kitchen. They were, for one thing, taller, and had on a dark blue uniform, and black shoes. Silver armbands were seen on their upper arms, and a silver knight's helmet sat on their heads. A black and red heart with stitches on it was emblazoned on their chests. Their arms were very long, and they had four, long red fingers that looked sharp enough to stab anyone with.

More whooshing noises were heard behind them, and the three turned to see similar creatures popping up everywhere around the house, surrounding them. Pixie and Dixie shuddered in fear, while Huck was looking for something he could use as a weapon-preferably something bigger than a cookie jar.

Then, one of the creatures to his left leaped at him. He jumped down, which prompted another in front of him to lash out next. The punch connected with Huck's jaw, sending him to the other side of the house and also causing him to lose his grip on Pixie and Dixie. The two mice screamed as they were hurtled through the air.

Huck slammed into the wall, sending pain coursing through his head. As he was rubbing his sore jaw with his paw, he then realized that Pixie and Dixie weren't in his grasp. Eyes wide with fear, he looked to see the pair in the center of the room, surrounded by the creatures.

"P-PIXIE! DIXIE! RUN!" he yelled, but it was too late. One of the creatures snatched up both mice and started to sink into the floor. They both tried to bite onto their hands, but it had no effect on the creature, who hit them both on the head and caused them to howl with pain.

_"__NOOOOO!"_ Huck leaped off the floor and ran towards the creature, hoping to catch it before it disappeared into the ground with both mice. He was only a step away when the armored creature once again punched him in the jaw, knocking him down.

_"__HUCK!"_ both mice screamed, and that was the last thing they said before they disappeared into the ground. The blue-furred hound looked up, shock resonating on his face when he saw that the strange creature and his friends were gone.

He looked up at the crowd of massive creatures, all of them surrounding him like predators cornering prey. At that moment, he noticed that some of them were pouring in by destroying the very walls of his house. He looked around, and saw a stick that was about the same size as he was, and dove under one of the creatures in order to get it. Grabbing it, he quickly jumped up and ran out of the house, using his stick like a bat to swat aside the creatures in order to get to the door. The wind was stronger than ever, at one point blowing him off of his feet.

The creatures were pouring out of his house in a swarm, startling the dog. He took one look at the stick in his hand and realized that he needed to find another weapon to defend himself with.

"It'd sure be amazin' if a strange new weapon appeared outta nowhere. But that's just wishful thinking," he said. He looked around to see the creatures surrounding him, their claws ready to tear him apart. He gulped. "Though…a little wishful thinkin' never hurt anybody…"

Three of the creatures leaped at him, and Huck screamed in terror, dropping his makeshift weapon in a fear…

Just then, a bright blue light engulfed the area then, and the monsters surrounding him jumped back in horror. As quickly as it had appeared, the light around Huck disappeared, and the hound saw that the three creatures who attempted to attack him earlier were now gone. He also noticed that he was carrying something in his right hand.

It was a sword, but one that was very ornate in design. The guard and the pommel were connected by a diamond shaped cross-guard colored yellow and red. The rain guard was blue with a light blue diamond in the center. The blade was dark blue, while the fuller and the point was light blue. On the weak of the blade were two yellow stars, both with diamonds that touched the ends of the points. A large pentagonal diamond with a star-shaped design in the middle sat in the first star. Huck looked down to see a long chain dangling from the pommel, one made with a repeated design of diamonds and red hourglass-shaped rubies. A yellow pentagon with a star shaped diamond sat on the end of the chain.

Huck stared at this weapon, swearing that it looked eerily familiar...and was startled out of though when he heard some screeching noises. He looked up and saw that the creatures were coming towards him, vengeance in their eyes. His eyes narrowed in concern as the creatures surrounded him in a circular formation.

"This ain't gonna be good."

* * *

**_Finally…I got this thing done. My next priority WILL be "Fiery Heart, Broken Soul" after this, but this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone after I got back from my winter break vacation. There really won't be a next chapter, but if anybody wants to pick this up and turn this into a full-blown story (since I know very little about Kingdom Hearts, hence why I think some of the Organization XIII members might be messed up), hey, be my guest. Just let me know in PM, okay?_**

**_But anyway, this came about after reading several Kingdom Hearts crossover fics and watching Boomerang during winter break, and I had an idea to write a crossover between Hanna-Barbera and Kingdom Hearts. This is basically Huck's Awakening, and you can tell he had no idea what was going on; he thought it was all a pizza dream :) That took a long time to write, as originally it was just him, Pixie and Dixie encountering the Heartless and then he got a Keyblade out of nowhere. I then decided to do the Awakening scene, though it was a few divergences from the main game. Rather than the Princesses of Heart on the stain glass windows, you have Mystery Inc. and the Flintstones, symbolizing that they are going to play a very important role as the heroes of this story. Plus, Huck having that vision of himself killing people was inspired by "It's Kingdom Hearts, Charlie Brown" where CB goes through the same thing, but Huck's is more graphic in detail. I hope I didn't scare you or anything; that's just the first thing I thought of when it said "A sword of powerful destruction". _**

**_Since I'm not very far into the first game, I don't know everything about Organization XIII, or the crazy plot in the later games. But I do know that the main heroes will be Huck, Yogi, Top Cat, Quick Draw McGraw, Fred Flintstone, George Jetson, and Fred Jones. And for those of you wondering, no, Top Cat will not be an expy of Riku, though he will become greedy for the Keyblade's power…_**

**_Huck is in the doghouse now (sorry, I couldn't resist). Will he make it out of this alive? And how will he react when he finds out this was not a pizza dream as he had hoped? Well...I'm not sure. It's really up to you guys at this point. Would you like me to continue?  
_**

**_That's all I've got to say for now. I hope you enjoyed this story!_**

**_God bless, iheartgod175_**


	2. Chapter 2: The Attack at Jellystone Park

**A/N: **Well, I decided to make another chapter for this, since after I finished _Fiery Heart, Broken Soul_'s second chapter, this is the only story I could think about writing. Lots more action this time, plus Yogi and Boo-Boo.

Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own any of the Hanna-Barbera characters used or mentioned in this chapter. If I did, I'd be rich. But I don't.

* * *

***~CHAPTER 2~***

**Huck and the Attack at Jellystone Park  
**

Three of the creatures leaped out at Huck from all angles, and the hound did the only thing he could think of: he swung the sword at them. The weak of the blade hit one of them, sending it careening into the woods. It disappeared into a puff of smoke, but two more quickly replaced the one he'd destroyed. Huck's eyes narrowed in determination, and he brought the sword down on the other two, destroying them in three hits.

He soon became aware of movement on his left, and he turned around to meet another of the red-fingered creatures from earlier. He easily dispatched the creature with several slashes across its upper body, and then he turned and saw that there were more of them coming his way.

"I don't have time to fight all of these things," he said aloud, looking for an exit. He found one in the form of his car, but the creatures were blocking his path to it. The only way he could escape this would be if he destroyed most of the swarm now.

Now that he got a very good look at them, these creatures were eerily familiar to the hound, and as he dodged and struck at the creatures, he had the growing suspicion that he'd fought them before-

When the smaller creature from earlier returned, it hit Huck like an anvil to the head.

_Well, I'll be. Those critters are the ones I fought in my dream! But what exactly _are _they?!_

Another swipe from the creature's claws startled Huck out of his thoughts, and he flew backwards, landing on his back. His right arm had a long cut that was painting his fur red. He got up from the ground and glared at the Heartless.

Huckleberry Hound was not prone to violence, but he was not going to allow these creatures to do any harm to him. They had also kidnapped his friends, and he was _not_ going to let them get away with that.

"So, y'all want a fight outta me, do you?" he growled, now fed up with the creatures. "Well, you're gonna get one!"

The Heartless charged, as if to answer Huck's challenge. The hound wasted no time in running towards them, adrenaline powering his actions. His vision was filled with purple and black smoke as he destroyed each one. He dodged the Heartless' attacks, pressing the advantage as they cowered away from him. When one attacked him from the side, he shoulder-checked it and struck the creature against its upper chest, causing it to disappear into a burst of smoke.

Huck barely got out of the swarm that tried to bury him alive, and ran back to his house. He knew that those creatures would chase and overwhelm him, and he wasn't going to fight them forever. The moment he slammed open the front door, his theory was proven correct as more of the creatures, including different variants that he'd never seen before, were waiting for him. He grabbed the keys from the desk and took off running for his small coupe, which was thankfully creature free.

He unlocked the car as best as he could with his other hand holding the sword, and then jumped in. Tossing the sword in the back, he jammed the key in and started the ignition. The engine roared to life, and Huck slammed his foot on what he thought was the accelerator, but it was the brake instead. He found himself flying backwards, slamming into several of the Heartless and sending them flying into the house behind his. A loud crash sounded a few moments later, and a scream echoed through the neighborhood.

"Whoops," he muttered, and lifted his foot off of the brake, bringing his car to a squealing stop two inches from his garage. Hitting the accelerator, he sped out of the driveway, hitting at least two of the creatures on his way out.

He looked in the rear view mirror to see that they remained in the back. The stoic, angry mask crumbled to reveal the relief and fear that had been gnawing at him during that fight. There were many questions he had, but he didn't know exactly where he could get his answers from.

Where in the world did this strange sword come from? And what _were_ those creatures that had kidnapped Pixie, Dixie and Mr. Jinks? He recognized them from the dream (well, the smaller ones at least), but the voice that had spoken to him hadn't told him what they were. It had told him to just fight them, and he'd managed to win by sheer luck.

Tonight had been different, though. He had been acting on fear in his dream. Tonight, he had acted on his determination to beat those creatures, to make them pay for taking his friends away. And though it had been a while since he'd seen sword combat, he was able to destroy those things with several well placed strikes that would have made Touché Turtle proud.

He looked at the blue, yellow and red sword, which shimmered slightly as it caught the streetlights' glow. Huck's mind wandered back to the dream he'd had before this mess had started.

But it couldn't be related to this, could it? After all, in that dream he'd chosen the path of the wizard rather than the path of the warrior. The sword that had appeared during that trial looked nothing like this one.

"I need to find my friends and find out what's going on here," Huck muttered. He stopped at a stoplight, thinking of which friend he could go to.

So far, he didn't have many options. Snagglepuss was away on another vacation, Secret Squirrel and Morocco were halfway around the world on another mission, and Atom Ant was also in the middle of another mission, this time to rescue a band called Josie and the Pussycats from performing in outer space. Or at least, that's what Huck remembered. The little ant had been talking so fast, he didn't understand half of what he was saying.

Either way, that left only one option. After the light changed green, he turned left and headed for the highway.

He hoped Yogi and Boo-Boo wouldn't be too angry at his intrusion.

* * *

_At an undisclosed location…_

"So he's got the Keyblade now? How did that happen?" the first hooded man asked.

"I believe it's because the candidate who was to receive this Keyblade has been chosen by another," the second hooded figure said. "His path is that of the Mystic."

"But during the Awakening, Huckleberry Hound also chose the path of the Mystic. Why was he given the True Blue Star?" The first man sounded skeptical.

"It is because True Blue Star chose him to be its master. Keyblades choose their Masters, after all. Other times, they have to prove that they are the rightful owner to it," the third man replied. "You know what happened to the holder of the Kingdom Key."

"That is true..."

"Should we introduce ourselves to him? Perhaps tell him about what is happening to his world?" the third man inquired the second.

"Not yet. We should wait. If we were to suddenly appear to him, we would overwhelm him, and he is already overwhelmed enough as it is. We shall have to wait and see what he will do," the second man said, "as we need him to be a little more...experienced. We will only get involved if the situation is dire."

"I do hope he recruits the other candidates quickly," the third man muttered. "It won't be long until the darkness engulfs this world…"

* * *

Jellystone Park was basked in peace and quiet, save for the wind that roared through the trees and the thunder crashing. Ranger Smith was hoping for it to stay that way. It had been a harrowing day as usual, trying to keep Yogi from swiping the tourists' picnic baskets. The bear's attempts would range from small to outright dangerous.

Today was one of those outright dangerous days. Yogi had used a helicopter of all things to do that, despite Boo-Boo's constant warnings that Ranger Smith wouldn't like it. And boy, did he not like it! Not only did it terrorize the other campers, but it was also evaluation day, where he'd be checked to make sure he was doing his job in keeping the park running smoothly. Smith was just glad that he got the situation under control before his superiors showed up, or else he would have lost his job.

At least Yogi was considerate enough to let him sleep in. He knew he'd need the energy tomorrow. With that thought, he climbed into bed and turned off the lamp. For the first time in about forty years, he was going to sleep well.

No sooner had his head hit the pillow, a loud whooshing sound was heard next to his bed. Irate, he turned to see what the source of the noise was.

_I swear, if Yogi does _anything _to interfere with my sleep-_

Two bright yellow eyes locked eyes with him, boring into his very soul and cutting off his thoughts. Ranger Smith jumped backwards and hit the bedframe, terror replacing his irritation in a split second. The strange creature, with a small, stocky body and clawed fingers, was joined by two similar, but taller creatures with thinner bodies and red claws. Even in the dark, Ranger Smith could tell that they were as sharp as razors.

Ranger Smith ducked forwards, barely missing their claws by inches. There was a loud rip as they tore a hole in the wall, splintering the wood. He was about to leap forwards and run to the door when two more of the smaller creatures, which had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, appeared on either side of him, grabbed him by his upper arms and slammed him into the bed frame. The park ranger groaned in pain, his head throbbing. The other two taller creatures melted into his bed, slithering towards his side in pools of black. Just when Ranger Smith thought that things couldn't get any worse, a black and purple portal appeared in front of him.

The creature that rose from the mattress was one of the tallest things he'd ever seen. Its antennae were long and jagged like lightning bolts, and blue jagged streaks were seen across its upper shoulders, head and just above the knees. Its feet resembled heavy boots, and it had five fingers like any normal human. He stared into its eyes, and an abyss stared back at him.

A booming voice, authoritative and cold as an ice bolt, came out of nowhere. **"This is the one we need. Take him where the others are."**

The creatures' grip tightened on Ranger Smith's arms. The two tall creatures, as well as the largest one, melted into the mattress once again and slithered under Ranger Smith. Everything turned to quicksand underneath the terrified Park Ranger, and soon he was sinking into a maelstrom of black and purple energy with the two other creatures. No amount of thrashing or kicking could free him from the grip of the Heartless.

The scream that came from Ranger Smith's throat could have been heard for miles.

* * *

"Hey Yogi?" Boo-Boo asked nervously, shaking his best friend awake.

Yogi Bear, who was snoring away, paused once in his snoring routine to sleepily answer him. "Yeah, Boo-Boo?"

"Did you hear that noise? It sounded like screaming," Boo-Boo continued.

"Aw, don't worry, Boo-Boo. It must be some of the campers," Yogi said. "They're always screaming about something."

"But that sounded like Ranger Smith, Yogi," Boo-Boo explained.

Yogi shot out of bed so fast, he almost knocked Boo-Boo down. "What? What's going on out there for the ranger to be freaked out?" he asked.

"I have no idea, but it sounds pretty serious," Boo-Boo said, concern filling his voice.

Screams of terror confirmed Boo-Boo's words. Yogi climbed out of bed, making his way over to the mouth of the cave to see what was going on.

He soon got a nasty shock.

Fifty strange black creatures with glowing yellow eyes were sitting front of his cave, and all of them were starting to come towards him and Boo-Boo. In the midst of the raging storm, terrified campers were screaming and running for their lives, dragging their children and dropping things in their mad dash to their cars. The smaller bear's eyes widened in shock, while Yogi's jaw was level with the floor.

"You were right," he said finally. "This _is _serious!"

* * *

Huck pulled up into the parking lot, noting how quiet everything was. Aside from the storm, there didn't seem to be any trouble, which was good, because he was exhausted from the long drive and fighting for his life at his own house. All he wanted was a place to sleep and something to eat. He knew Boo-Boo and Yogi would be surprised to see him, but he would tell them just what was going on in the morning.

He picked up his new weapon and put it in the trunk. He didn't want Yogi and Boo-Boo to freak out, or for somebody to steal it. He locked the door and started to head in the direction of Yogi's cave.

"Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my daaaarlin' Clementi-"

A horrific scream cut off the rest of his song. He stopped in his tracks, curious as to who would be screaming at this time of night. The next thing he knew, people burst out of the woods, screaming as though they'd seen a monster. Parents shoved their children into their cars and hurriedly started the ignition. Others almost trampled each other to death.

"What in the world?!" Huck muttered.

_"HEEEELLLLLPPP!"_

Suddenly, he found himself barreled down by a large figure, and then immediately trampled by a smaller one. The impact of both sent pain shooting up his injured arm and jaw. He groaned as he sat up, trying to find out who had flattened him. His eyes widened when he recognized the two figures who were disappearing into the woods.

"Yogi! Boo-Boo! Wait for me!" he called out, picking himself up and running in the last direction he'd seen them go. What were they doing up this late at night? They would usually be sleeping by now!

_Unless-_

His thought was finished when a hiss of energy sounded behind him. Turning around, he watched as a yellow-orange ball of fire shot out of the darkness. Huck jumped down, and the shot sailed overhead and crashed into a car, blowing it up. A man in hiking gear who was carrying everything in his arms stared at something behind Huck, and yelled, "That was my car!"

Whatever had attacked the car didn't care. Another hiss of energy hit the air, and another fireball shot overhead, heading for the man. The man screamed and took off running as the projectile hit the ground, blowing up part of the concrete.

Huck turned around to face what had attacked him and the poor hiker, and came face to face with another variant of the creatures he'd fought earlier.

Three small creatures hovered around him, their yellow eyes the same as the other creatures he'd fought at his house. They had tall yellow hats, and had a smooth, conical red body with spikes making up a collar of some sorts. Their feet were twig thin, and had three toes at the end. A black and red heart with stitches was emblazoned across their chests.

All in all, the three creatures looked harmless, even cute. Huck was starting to let his guard down when they created balls of fire almost as large as they were, and shot them at him. The hound jumped backwards as the three fireballs crashed into the ground, sending concrete flying into the air. He skidded to a stop, watching as they started to advance on him. Cars pealed out of the parking lot, not wanting to be around for the battle.

Huck knew that he needed to make it back to his car to get his sword, but there was no way to get past them other than to barrel through. And that certainly wasn't going to be easy with them charging fire missiles.

"Well, I'm just gonna have to take a chance," he said. After dodging another barrage of fireballs, he made a mad dash to his car, frantically fumbling with his keys as he made it to the trunk. When he heard another whine of energy behind him, he jammed the key inside and turned it, throwing the trunk door up and pulling out the sword.

The sight of the sword seemed to make them even more aggressive. They dove for him, and Huck swung upwards, knocking one of them down. The other two were beginning to charge fireballs on the heads, the light almost blinding the hound. Huck jumped downwards, avoiding the fireballs that crashed into his car. There was a flash and then an explosion that sent him flying halfway across the parking lot.

After skidding to a stop, Huck turned to face the creatures, which were diving towards him. He swung the sword again, catching them in a blow that sent them careening into the nearest car. They disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Now, to find Yogi and Boo-Boo before those things find them first," he muttered, flying through the trees.

* * *

"D-Did we lose them, Yogi?!" Boo-Boo shouted over the roar of the wind and screaming people from the back.

Yogi made to answer, but that was when a large fireball shot forwards, nearly singeing his fur. He skidded to a stop as the projectile crashed into a tree, setting it and any undergrowth on fire. It soon created a large wall of flames that cut them off from the rest of the forest.

"I-I don't think so, Boo-Boo," he replied. He turned around and saw five small, conical red creatures with glowing yellow eyes hovering overhead. Fireballs formed on the tips of their hats, and they were aiming at them.

Boo-Boo gulped. "We're in trouble now, Yogi," he muttered.

"I'm starting to agree with you, Boo-Boo!" Yogi said, holding onto the smaller bear in fear. The creatures shot the fireballs, and Yogi and Boo-Boo screamed-

_"JUMP BACK!" _someone yelled.

Neither bear had to be told twice, and they jumped away as the attacks crashed into the ground. A roar of fire filled their ears seconds later.

Yogi looked upwards, utterly relieved and bewildered at the same time. "Who said that?" he asked.

Boo-Boo pointed at someone behind the creatures. "Look over there, Yogi!" he called.

Yogi saw a flash of blue light slice cleanly through the creature, causing it to disappear in a puff of black and purple smoke. The other creatures barely had time to act before three of them were cut down with merciless precision. The last one shrieked in terror and zoomed away, not wanting to face whoever had destroyed its brethren.

Yogi stared in shock as the person who'd saved their lives came into view. "H-Huck? Is that you?" he asked.

The blue-furred hound in question broke into a run, worry all over his face. "Yogi! Boo-Boo! Oh, thank goodness. I feared the worst for a moment," he said. "Y'all okay?"

"Other than being scared out of my senses, yeah," Yogi replied. His eyes then wandered to the weapon Huck was holding, and they widened in surprise. "Hey, where'd you get that sword from?"

Huck followed Yogi's line of vision and held up his sword. "Oh, this thing? That's just the problem; I have no idea where it came from. I was fighting several of those creatures that attacked you, since they kidnapped Pixie, Dixie, and Mr. Jinks, and this here sword appeared out of nowhere!" he said.

"Wait a second, those creatures attacked you?" Boo-Boo asked.

Huck nodded. "Yep, they showed up at my house and everything! I had to escape, and I was planning to stay with you guys…but, uh…"

"Yeah, we'll have to scratch that idea, Huck," Boo-Boo finished.

"Well, there's only one thing we need to do, fellas," Yogi said, hearing the roar of flames increase behind them.

"What's that, Yogi?" Huck asked.

"RUN FOR IT!"

Nobody needed to be told twice. They took off running as the inferno spread throughout the forest, consuming anything in its path. By the time Huck, Yogi and Boo-Boo made it out of the forest, the fire was halfway towards the parking lot. Several fire trucks were speeding towards the park, sirens screaming and lights flashing.

"We got out of there just in time," Boo-Boo said. Huck and Yogi nodded, leaning over and trying to catch their breaths.

"At least there won't be any more of those creatures to bother us tonight," Huck stated. "I'm exhausted."

"So am I, Huck. So am I," Yogi said. "But I'm still a little worried though. What could've happened to Ranger Smith? And why were all of those creatures attacking Jellystone Park? We didn't do anything to them!"

Huck shrugged. "Neither did Pixie, Dixie or Mr. Jinks," he replied. "And I didn't do anything to them either."

Yogi was about to comment on that when Boo-Boo started to tug on his arm. His eyes were wide with horror. "Y-Y-Yogi…" he stammered, pointing at something behind Huck.

Yogi followed Boo-Boo's line of sight, and he yelled, _"HUCK, LOOK OUT!"_

His warning came two seconds too late. The next thing Huck knew, he was flying in the air, the air driven from his lungs as something hard slammed in his back. He slid across the road, his back throbbing with pain and his sword skidding across the street.

Yogi and Boo-Boo backed away from the creature that had attacked Huck. It was one that looked similar to the red-clawed creatures from before, but this one had green skin instead of blue, and its red shoes were more tattered. Its blue claws were dark with crimson and yellow eyes bore into their own, chilling them to their very cores.

It moved, blindingly fast. An eyeblink later, the creature attacked Boo-Boo, catching him in a deadly swipe with its claws. A scream tore from the smaller bear's throat as he went flying over ten feet in the air, rapidly spinning out of control. He stuck out his arms to break his fall, but the creature rushed up to him and hit him again, sending him pinwheeling into the entrance gate. An audible _snap _could be heard over the noise, and Boo-Boo screamed.

"BOO-BOO!" Yogi yelled, though his shout was drowned out by the sounds of fire trucks roaring into the parking lot. The smaller bear slowly rolled to his side, groaning in pain.

Yogi turned to face the creature, but it was gone, as though it had vanished into thin air. He turned and ran towards Boo-Boo, who had fallen back down after trying to stand up.

"Boo-Boo! Are you alright?!" he shouted.

"You don't need to shout, Yogi. I think I'm oka-OUCH!" Boo-Boo winced as he took a look at his left leg, which had hit the gate. It was bent at an unnatural angle. "M-My leg!"

"Hang on, Boo-Boo. As soon as I make sure Huck's alright, I'm taking you to the hospital," he said. He glared at the darkness. "Whatever attacked you two is not going to get away with this!"

"I have a bad feeling about this, Yogi," Boo-Boo replied.

"I do, too. But everything will be alright soon, okay?"

Boo-Boo looked like he still had his doubts, but he nodded in response. Yogi turned and ran towards Huck, who was wobbling to his feet. His face was twisted with pain.

"Huck, are you okay?!" Yogi asked.

"That smarts…seems like I'm getting thrown around a lot tonight," Huck groaned. "How's Boo-Boo?"

"He's got a broken leg. We need to get him to the hospital!"

"You get the van, I'll fight off that thing that attacked Boo-Boo!"

With that, the two split up, Huck half limping towards his sword, and Yogi running off into the forest to get his van. The hound found his sword nearly inside the sewer, the cross guard keeping the blade from falling inside. With a bit of effort, he pulled it out, falling back down on his injured back.

Right when he got up, he heard charging footsteps behind him. He whirled around and swung the sword. It collided with a form that was barely visible in the darkness, what with the smoke and fire all around.

_So this thing's invisible, huh? We'll see about that! _Huck pressed the advantage, slashing the creature several times across its chest and sending it skidding backwards a few yards. The outline of its body came fully into view, and the Heartless' eyes were filled with fear as Huck slashed his sword across its chest three more times, destroying it.

He breathed out a tired sigh, and turned towards a familiar sound: the sound of Yogi's van roaring down the road. Using his sword as a crutch, he made his way over to Boo-Boo, who looked at him with wide eyes.

"Wow. I didn't know you were _that_ good at sword fighting, Huck," he said, slinging an arm over Huck's shoulder.

"I've had some practice, and I was just putting it to good use," the hound replied. "Now, come on, we've got to get you to Yogi's van."

There were three loud honks of a car horn, and Yogi's red van pulled up on the other side of the park, away from the firefighters that were still putting out the fire. His expression was full of concern as he watched his two friends hobble towards him.

His mind was reeling from what had happened earlier in the park. Even Huck, who had fought those creatures, had no idea what they were or where they had come from. As he helped Huck and Boo-Boo get into the van, he could only hope that this situation didn't get any worse.

"You comfy back there, Boo-Boo old buddy?" he asked.

"Yeah, though my leg still hurts," Boo-Boo replied. "Thanks for helping me, Huck."

The hound smiled. "No problem. That's what friends are for," he said. He closed the door and turned towards Yogi, a determined expression on his face. "We need to get going, now!"

"Right!" With that, both of them leaped into the front seats, and Yogi started to pull out of the parking lot, swerving out of the way of an incoming fire truck. After having to slow down for at least four of them, Yogi soon got the group onto the main road leading to the hospital.

"None of those creatures from earlier are following us, are they, Huck?" Yogi asked, keeping his eyes trained on the road. The wind was slamming into the doors of his van like a battering ram, and it was all he could do to keep the vehicle from veering off the road and crashing into a ditch.

Huck looked in the rear view mirror, seeing the headlights from other cars behind them. He was about to turn and answer with a no, but that was when he saw something that made him do a double take. Three of the smaller red creatures from earlier were flying behind them, fire charging on their heads. There was the squealing of tires as the other car behind them swerved into the other lane to avoid them, spinning out into the ditch.

"We've got company, Yogi!" he replied finally. "Those are the same ones that burned up part of the park!"

Yogi looked in the rear view mirror, a determined scowl settling on his face. "So I break a few rules of the road!" he muttered, and floored it, sending Huck and Boo-Boo into their seats. Everything whipped past them in a blur, but Yogi was still able to make out the fireballs that sailed in front of them and crashed into the road. Thankfully, since the ground was soaked with rain, the fire died quickly. He made serpentine maneuvers in order to avoid the barrage of fireballs coming from the back, which flew randomly in some places and almost hit them in others.

Then, he saw the main building of the hospital, and he knew that this journey was almost over.

"Hang on, guys! I'm going to turn off at this exit really fast!" he announced.

Huck grasped the handlebar above the window, terror on his face. "I'm hanging on for life, Yogi!" he exclaimed. Boo-Boo was also looking for something to hang onto.

When the next exit came up, Yogi jerked the van to the right, missing the guardrail by an inch. Tires squealed as he tried to keep the van from spinning out on the road, and Huck and Boo-Boo cried out in terror. With another hard right, Yogi steered the van in the direction of the hospital, the car wobbling uneasily on the slick road.

Yogi let out a sigh of relief when he saw the entrance to the hospital. He turned towards Huck, who also looked relieved-if only because Yogi was no longer driving like a maniac.

"I'm sorry to drop all this on you, Huck, but I need you to fight off those creatures. I don't want them trying to hurt anybody at this hospital or Boo-Boo!" Yogi said.

Huck nodded. "Sure thing, Yogi. I'll try to hold them off for as long as I can," he said.

The van screeched to a stop at the entrance, and both Huck and Yogi jumped out. While Yogi went to get Boo-Boo out of the van and into the front door, Huck went around the vehicle to face the creatures that were following them. The pain in his back had numbed out somewhat, but his leg still ached, and his right arm was still stinging. He sighed, watching as Yogi carried Boo-Boo into the lobby.

"Good luck, Huck!" he called before disappearing into the doors.

"Thanks, Yogi," he replied. His gaze narrowed as he turned to the creatures, shifting into a fighting stance as best as he could. "I'm gonna need it…"

* * *

One of the disadvantages to being a bear, Yogi realized, was that everyone was terrified of you. In fact, he should have expected that when all of the staff in the lobby took off running from him, telling everyone to save themselves.

He sighed. _At least they didn't meet Snag or any of my other friends…_

"Um, excuse me…is there anything I can help you with?"

Yogi turned towards the source of the voice: a human doctor who was about a head taller than him, had red hair and a neatly trimmed mustache and beard. He wore a white dress shirt with a black tie, and he wore a crisp baby blue lab coat and maroon pants.

"Uh, yes. My best friend here, he ended up breaking his leg," Yogi explained. "It happened while we were being attacked."

The doctor's face contorted into a look of concern. "You were attacked? By who, hunters?" he asked.

"No. Monsters," Boo-Boo replied.

"Monsters," the doctor repeated, his tone skeptical.

"No really, there were a whole lot of them back at Jellystone Park! They drove the campers out of there, and attacked me, Boo-Boo and Huck with fire," Yogi said. "They set fire to one section of the forest, and three of those creatures are attacking Huck now!"

The doctor scratched his chin in concern. "Normally, I would doubt your story, but things like this have been happening all over the place as of late," he said.

Yogi and Boo-Boo looked at him with incredulous expressions. "They have?" they asked.

"Yes. We've been taking in various and people and animals for the past few hours. Many of them claim to have been attacked by monsters you just described," the doctor said.

Yogi's eyes widened in horror. _That means those things are everywhere! What's going on with my friends?! I hope they haven't been caught up in this mess, either!_

"Well for now, let's get your friend examined, shall we?" the doctor said. "My office is right around the corner…"

A crash, followed by a pain-filled howl, ripped through the air, turning the blood in Yogi's veins ice cold. The three turned around to see his van caved in, the windows shattered and the doors bent at unnatural angles. Halfway inside the roof of the van was a limp and unconscious Huckleberry Hound, blood staining his blue fur and his sword on the ground, covered in glass.

Boo-Boo gasped in horror, and Yogi yelled, "HUCK!"

The doctor turned towards him, his face stern. "Go help your friend. When you're finished, bring him inside," he ordered.

"B-But what about Boo-Boo?" Yogi asked.

"I'll take care of Boo-Boo. You need to get out there and keep those things from destroying the hospital and killing more people!"

"But I don't have any weapons!"

The doctor reached inside his coat for something. Yogi's mind boggled when the man pulled out a revolver. "Take this. It should be a match for whatever's out there," he said.

"You keep guns on you? In a hospital?" Boo-Boo asked.

"In my line of work, it's necessary to me to protect myself," the doctor answered. "I'm always in tangles with the wrong side of the law."

"That settles it. I'm never going for a medical career," Yogi replied, taking the gun. "I'd rather stick to stealing pic-a-nic baskets. That's less dangerous."

"You said it, Yogi."

There was another crash, and screams could be heard over the noise. Yogi handed Boo-Boo over to the man and raced out the doors, gun in hand. Boo-Boo watched his best friend rush into danger, and then turned to the man who was currently carrying him to his office.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The man smiled, just vaguely. "I'm Dr. Benton Quest, a renowned scientist for the U.S. government," he explained, "and in my spare time, an adventurer."

* * *

The creatures that hovered around Huck were bigger than anything that Yogi had ever seen.

They were just as big as Dr. Quest, but had an almost alien quality to them. This creature's antennae were long and jagged like lightning bolts, and blue jagged streaks were seen across its upper shoulders, head and just above the knees. Its feet resembled heavy boots, and it had five fingers like any normal human. There were seven of them, their yellow eyes glowing with murderous intent as they circled the unconscious hound.

Yogi didn't know what they were after, but he wasn't going to wait to find out. Pulling out the gun he'd gotten from Dr. Quest, he aimed at one of the creatures closest to Huck and fired. The bullet collided with the creature's skull, sending it flying backwards and hitting the road with a slap. This action attracted the attention of the other creatures, which moved away from Huck and started to move towards Yogi.

Yogi took careful aim at the other creatures and opened fire, each gunshot rattling in his ears like an explosion. One went down, but three others leaped into the air, spinning like tops. The bear watched in horror as they came down, claws outstretched and ready to rip his face to pieces. He turned and ran towards the parking lot, but one of them crashed down in front of him, the force of the impact sending his borrowed weapon flying in the air. Yogi watched, horrified, as the other two creatures landed right on top of the weapon, crushing it into pieces.

The one in front of him lashed out with a right hook that connected with Yogi's cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground. The other two surrounded him then, their claws balled into fists.

At the sound of screaming, Yogi turned to see that one of the creatures was inside the building, having melted into the floor and slithered its way through the locked doors. Havoc reigned inside as those inside tried to fight the creature, but to no avail.

Yogi looked at the creatures, and suddenly remembered the doctor's words. He couldn't just sit here and let all of the people in the hospital die. They needed his help. Huck needed his help. Boo-Boo needed his help. If he failed at protecting these people, he would feel guilty about it for the rest of his life.

But what could he do? He was outnumbered and unarmed. The large Heartless leaped into the air, diving towards him, and Yogi prepared to leap up and run towards the hospital again, ready to defend his friends from them-

Just then, a bright white light filled his vision, blinding him and the Heartless attacking him. In the span of a second, the light had disappeared, along with the Heartless. He looked around, seeing that the only one still around was trying to attack Huck. He jumped to his feet, but that was when he realized that he had a new weight in his hands. Upon bringing his right hand upwards, he saw that he was wielding a sword.

This sword was clearly meant to have been inspired by forestry. The cross guard was green with pale green vines wrapping themselves around the middle of the cross guard. The blade itself was a dark brown branch, with several spots that looked like twigs had been snapped off. On the weak of the blade were three emerald green leaves, and two similar ones were seen on the shoulder of the sword. A green chain, with green leaves sticking out on its sides, dangled from the pommel.

Yogi was shocked to see this new weapon, especially when it had just appeared out of nowhere. When he heard a low groan of pain, he realized that he didn't have much time before that creature killed Huck. He ran towards the Heartless and swung his new weapon at it, catching it in the head. It turned on him with vengeance in its eyes, and pulled a fist back, ready to punch him. Yogi dodged the swing, and slashed the Heartless across its chest. This sent the creature flying backwards, and instead of coming towards him again, it rushed to the other side of the parking lot, leaping over cars like an athlete.

"Come back here!" Yogi yelled.

"Ughhh…y-Yogi…"

Yogi turned towards the sound, relieved to see Huck conscious. The hound blinked slowly, looking up at the lights overhead with half-lidded eyes. The extent of Huck's injuries made Yogi want to throw up his late night snack.

"Wha…what happened?" he asked, his voice somewhat slurred. "I remember fighting these giant creatures…one of them slammed into me and sent me into your van…"

"I saw the whole thing from the lobby. You just hang on, Huck. As soon as I get rid of these creatures, I'll come back for you," Yogi replied, swallowing back bile.

Huck mumbled something in response, but Yogi had already bolted for the other side of the parking lot. He didn't know what that creature had gotten up to, but he had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn't good.

There was a crunch of feet on metal, and Yogi turned, startled, to see one of the larger creatures leap at him, claws outstretched. He jumped backwards and the creature slammed into the wall, sending bricks flying everywhere.

Yogi turned to see that six more of the creatures were in the parking lot now, four of them heading for him and two heading for Huck. In the distance, he could see the one he'd hit earlier summoning more from large black and purple portals in the street. Screams echoed through the parking lot as people ran for their lives.

Yogi gulped. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

* * *

**_Well, due to requests, and the flow of ideas, I decided to add another chapter to this story. Yogi ends up getting a Keyblade of his own, but will he be able to protect Huck, Boo-Boo and an entire hospital full of people all by himself? Well, you'll just have to see next chapter!_**

**_I loved writing the part with Dr. Quest's cameo. I was going to originally have a doctor who was a cousin of Mr. Peebles (because when Yogi asks him why he wasn't afraid of him, he was going to say "My cousin sells a gorilla. It's nothing new to me."), but I decided to have Dr. Q appear, because he fits perfectly with the whole "skeptical doctor" thing. _**

**_The Heartless that appeared in this chapter are the Shadows (the ones Huck first encountered), Soldiers, Red Nocturnes (the ones that shoot fire), Stealth Soldier (the one that attacked Huck and Boo-Boo), and Neoshadow (which Yogi is fighting). The name of Yogi's Keyblade will appear in chapter three, where the Inner Circle is supposed to make their appearance._**

**_I hope you liked it _****_J_**


	3. Chapter 3: The Inner Circle

**A/N: **You know what I need to work on? The third chapter of _Fiery Heart, Broken Soul. _You know what I'm not working on? The third chapter of _Fiery Heart, Broken Soul. _While I try to get that chapter done and not disappoint Vulaan Kulaas (who's been waiting with bated breath for the third chap), have the third chapter of _The Heroes of Time_ a week or two earlier than planned. This one has some action, but there's a lot more suspense and we meet the mysterious Inner Circle. Plus, a guest appearance from a favorite character of mine.

Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own any of the Hanna-Barbera characters OR the Kingdom Hearts characters used or mentioned in this chapter. If I did, I'd be rich. But I don't.

* * *

***~CHAPTER 3~***

**Huck, Yogi and The Inner Circle  
**

The Heartless leaped out at Yogi, a hollow screech coming from its throat. In a moment of blind instinct, Yogi swung his new weapon, catching in the face and sending it sprawling to the ground. He jumped backwards to avoid another, which was diving towards him like a professional swimmer. The force of the crash sent chunks of concrete flying everywhere.

When Yogi turned to swing his sword at another one, it simply sank into the floor, slithering across the parking lot like a snake. It then rose behind him in a portal of black and purple smoke, and grabbed his leg. Yogi tried to move, but the Heartless' grip was like a vise.

The others were quickly upon him, striking him across his chest and arms with enough force to rival a battering ram. The barrage ended when another of the creatures kicked him in the face, freeing him from the grip of the other, but sending him crashing into the wall of the hospital. His vision was blurry as he tried to focus on the group, which was closing on him. He also could have sworn he heard a wrenching of glass and metal, and his heart rang out in alarm. Those creatures could be trying to yank Huck out right now!

_I've got to think fast, or else everyone here in the hospital will die! _Removing himself from the wall, Yogi shifted into a battle stance, his eyes narrowing in concentration. He looked from left to right, locking eyes with each of the Neoshadows.

Then, one leapt out at him, and he swung, catching it in a jaw-crushing blow that caused it to burst into smoke. The other six attempted to attack, but Yogi dove under them, although their claws ripped into his fur. He brought the sword back up just as one Neoshadow attempted to rake its claws across his face. He pushed it off, jumped back to his feet, and in three strikes managed to destroy that Neoshadow. One of them attempted to run, but the bear had managed to catch it in several devastating blows as well.

Soon, there were only four of the creatures remaining, and the group sunk into the same black and purple portals he'd seen earlier. At a loud whooshing sound, he turned to see nine of the same portals surrounding him in a tightly closed circle, and the four Neoshadows were leaping out of them, diving for him at all angles. Despite lifting up the sword to shield himself, Yogi was struck over and over again by the leaping Neoshadows, and was eventually hurled out of the circle. He tumbled in order to break his fall, though the effects of doing so punished his wounded body.

"Ugh…" he groaned, forcing himself to stand. "I need to change strategies."

The whooshing sound came again, and Yogi saw that the Neoshadows were now attacking him directly where he was. He readied the sword once again, and mentally noted to make sure to move away.

When the first Neoshadow came barreling at him, Yogi sidestepped it and two others. The minute they landed on the ground, he struck them, catching them in several powerful uppercut strikes that caused them to melt into smoke with a screech. He turned to face the last two, but he didn't see anything.

There was a loud thump, and a pain-filled groan filled his ears. Yogi turned to see Huck on the ground, trying very hard to get back up. He was too injured to do so, however, and fell down on the pile of glass on the road. This didn't stop him, however, from grabbing his sword and pulling it towards him.

"Huck! What are you doing?!" Yogi shouted.

Huck didn't answer, but merely used his sword as a crutch to help himself back up. Yogi noticed that his right leg had shards of glass sticking out of it, and his whole foot was covered with blood. He also had nasty gashes in his sides due to the twisted metal having cut into into his skin, and several small rivers of blood poured down his body. His blue fur was also spotted with shards of metal and glass and many pieces were sticking out of him like pins.

The fire in Huck's eyes, however, could not be quenched. "I…I can still fight," he said finally, and with much effort.

Yogi ran over to Huck right before he almost collapsed. He held the hound dog by his waist, being careful to avoid the glass in his fur. The extent of his injuries made Yogi wonder how Huck was even _standing_.

"Huck, you're in no condition to fight anything! You need to get in the hospital!" he ordered.

"And you aren't in perfect condition either, Yogi," Huck said, pointing at Yogi's cuts. "I can't let you fight those things on your own."

"I know that, but I don't have glass and metal wedged in my body! I need to get you out of here," Yogi replied.

"I'll say it once, and I'll say it again. I ain't leavin' you to fight those things out here on your own!" Huck's voice was hot with stubborn insistence as he turned towards his old friend. "You'll have to throw me inside the doors if you want me in the hospital so badly!"

Yogi considered doing just that, but that was when a rush of wind came from right underneath him. He grabbed Huck and jumped down to the ground, eliciting a cry of pain from the hound. Yogi turned around to see the Neoshadow's large hand sticking out of the portal, grasping empty air, obviously looking for him. The second Neoshadow lurched forwards, claws swinging, forcing Yogi to once again grab Huck and roll away from danger.

His sword was right next to him, and he grabbed it as quickly as he could. The blade's fuller collided with the Neoshadow's claw, which raked across the wood blade. A loud hiss resembling wood under a chainsaw hit their ears, but amazingly, the sword was still intact.

"Yogi, where did you get that from?!" Huck's eyes were wide with surprise, having now noticed Yogi's new weapon.

"I got it the same way you got yours!" Yogi replied, pushing the Neoshadow back with little effort. "And I don't know how!"

Huck looked ready to ask more, but that was when the second Neoshadow from before appeared under them again. Yogi jumped up again, but he was a few seconds too late, and it managed to grab his arm. A cold, paralyzing chill came over his legs and crawled up his body, rendering him immobile. Huck grunted in strain and thrashed about, but he was soon rendered immobile as well.

It was then that the Neoshadow made its move, a whoosh of wind blowing Yogi's fur flat against his face. There was a loud rip as its claws connected with his face, and the bear's vision swam with red. The second blow knocked him out, and sent him teetering backwards like a tree. His new weapon clattered to the ground.

"YOGI!" Huck yelled, but soon the Neoshadow struck him hard in the jaw, silencing the hound's cry. Copper flooded his mouth and he was certain he felt a tooth or two come loose. He wobbled uneasily, struggling to regain his balance, but he found he couldn't because of the Neoshadow under him. He fell to the ground, his sword slipping out of his grasp. Through his hazy vision, he saw doubles of the Neoshadow hovering over him, raising its hand to strike again.

He barely saw the second hit coming, as his vision was already fading to grey. A flash of white hot pain coursed through his jaw, and then everything went numb as he went unconscious.

* * *

"It's taking too long, Dr. Quest! They should've been here by now!" Boo-Boo looked at the human doctor with a look of utter worry. "You've got to check on them!"

Dr. Quest looked outside of his office, his gun held at a defensive position. The hallway looked like a tornado of blades had swept through it. The walls had huge slashes, and there were dozens of unconscious patients on the floor. Their skin was a pale grey, and he knew what that meant.

He heard another crash rip through the hallway, and he sighed. "It's too dangerous for me to do that," he said.

He had taken the smaller bear inside right before a large Neoshadow had snuck inside the building by melting into the floor. The creature was now smashing its way through offices and attacking patients. Even now, he could hear the screams as the Heartless fed on the people's hearts. He had seen the fight take place outside, with Huck forcing his way out of the ruined van, and Yogi trying to get him away from the last two Neoshadows. They hadn't come back to view, and Dr. Quest had the sneaking suspicion that they had been defeated.

Sighing, he turned towards the smaller bear, his expression grave. "Boo-Boo, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for them. They've probably been killed by those Neoshadows," he explained.

Boo-Boo's eyes widened in horror, and he shook his head frantically, not wanting to believe it. "No…that's not true! Yogi wouldn't…he _couldn't…_" His voice trailed off, and he shuddered, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Dr. Quest sighed. "I'm sorry, but…the odds of surviving an attack against that many Neoshadows in one bound is slim to none," he replied, his voice turning stern. "I highly doubt he or your friend Huckleberry Hound made-"

"Then why did you send him out there if you knew the odds?!" Boo-Boo growled, his fear melting to reveal the anger that had steadily built up over the last ten minutes. He fixed the doctor with a glare that could have killed the Grim Reaper. "You were probably too scared to go out there yourself!"

The human ran his hand through his hair, exhaustion on his face. "Look, I've only _studied _these creatures. I've never actually _fought _them. I wouldn't be able to make it out there on my own if I fought them. I don't have a Keyblade, after all."

Boo-Boo was about to angrily retort with something else, but he was confused by what the doctor meant by a "Keyblade". "What are you talking about? What's a Keyblade?" he asked.

"I can't explain it very well, as I haven't fully studied it yet. But I _do_ know that it's a sword with great supernatural powers," Dr. Quest said.

"You mean…like the sword Huck was carrying?" Boo-Boo asked.

"Maybe if you could describe it to me, I could give you a good answer," Dr. Quest replied.

Boo-Boo wasted no time on this, telling the doctor about Huck's strange weapon and what the hound had done with it. Dr. Quest's expression narrowed in concern.

"Yes…that is most definitely a Keyblade. If the Neoshadows did indeed defeat Yogi and Huckleberry, then they must be after Huck's Keyblade," he said.

"Why would they be after Huck's weapon? He didn't do anything to them!"

"Neither did three of the people that are here in this hospital." Dr. Quest's voice was low with sorrow.

Boo-Boo was about to ask more questions, but that was when the door flew off its hinges, almost slamming into him. He jumped down, sending pain shooting up his leg, and the door crashed through the windows behind him, sending a shower of glass all over his fur. Dr. Quest leaped into action, his gun aimed at the Neoshadow that stalked into the room. Its soulless yellow eyes locked on Boo-Boo, and it shoved the human doctor into the wall before he had a chance to pull the trigger.

The smaller bear, injured and unable to grab a weapon of his own, screamed in terror, and Dr. Quest drew his gun, ready to fire.

_"Thunder!" _

A booming thunderclap filled the room, followed by the distinct smell of ozone. Instantly, a twig-thin bolt of lightning rained from the ceiling and struck the Neoshadow head on, electrocuting it from head to toe. A loud screech came from the Heartless as it was vaporized, disappearing into a cloud of black and purple smoke. When the cloud disappeared, Boo-Boo stared at his rescuer, shocked.

The man standing before him was dressed in a white robe with deep red lining inside his hood and cloak. His attire had various black belts and cross designs adorning it, and in his hand was a white sword with a jagged blade, the weak covered with a golden crown. A chain of gold and silver storm clouds dangled behind him. The man looked at Boo-Boo, and electric blue met dark brown.

Dr. Quest stared at the man in shock as well, but it was quickly replaced with his trademark skeptical look. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded, looking ready to shoot if he had to.

The man turned his electrifying gaze on him. "I'm a friend. Or, if you want to be more specific, I am Leopold, a member of the Inner Circle," the man said. He drew back his hood, revealing messy brown hair that dangled all around his face. "I have come here tonight to protect the Keyblade bearers, as the Heartless have come with the intention to kill them."

"That's…that's impossible. From what I've studied, they just feed off of the darkness in people's hearts!" Dr. Quest had gone pale.

Leopold nodded. "Yes, that is their normal power. The more darkness they encounter, the more powerful they become. But these Heartless in particular…they were sent to kill the candidates. And with the second having been found, that is something that we cannot allow," he said. "That is why we are here tonight."

"The second? The only person I know that has a Keyblade is my friend Huck!" Boo-Boo replied.

"No…there are more. The second just received his tonight, having been chosen during his fight against the Neoshadows," he said.

Boo-Boo's eyes widened. "You mean…"

Behind Leopold, the doors to the hospital opened and two more men, dressed in white clothes and having patterns of fire across their clothes, strode in carrying two limp forms in their arms. The man with the red fire patters decorating his hood carried Huck. The man with black swirls dancing across his hood, who was clearly the bulkier of the two, carried Yogi. Both of them had their Keyblades on their chests, and both of them looked like someone had tried to shred them to pieces.

Boo-Boo looked ready to leap out of the bed, but Dr. Quest came over to put a hand on his shoulder in order to stop him. Instead, the smaller bear focused on the man carrying his best friend. Red eyes burned into his.

"Alec, did you and Reginald take care of the Neoshadows in the parking lot?" Leopold asked, turning to the men.

The man in the red nodded. Boo-Boo assumed he was Alec. "Yes. It took some time, however. You know how difficult they are to defeat," he said.

"We managed to apply first aid, but the rest of their injuries will need serious medical attention," the man with the black fire patterns replied.

"Thank you for doing that, Reginald. I assume you'll take things over from here, Dr. Quest?" Leopold and the others looked at Dr. Quest, who looked shocked to see them. "They should regain consciousness in several hours, and it is urgent that we speak to them after they've woken up."

"I can't believe the residents of this world are this resilient," Alec murmured, looking at Huck. "Most people would be dead if they were in their shoes."

Dr. Quest nodded. "Sure. Let me make sure Boo-Boo is properly attended to, and I'll take care of Huck and Yogi," he said.

Boo-Boo looked at Dr. Quest, his eyes brimming with tears. "You _will_ make sure they get the best care, right, Dr. Quest?" he asked.

Benton gave a tired smile. "I wouldn't settle for less, Boo-Boo."

* * *

_Where the heck am I…?_

Yogi looked all around him, surprised to be back in Jellystone Park again. Compared to earlier, everything was completely restored, and it was the middle of the day rather than the middle of the night. Birds sang in the trees, and happy campers sat at the picnic tables, chattering away and enjoying a delicious lunch. Others were canoeing, while some were hiking with their families. Yogi could spot the ranger station from a distance, and there were no rangers out.

Other than that, everything was perfect.

But Yogi got the feeling that everything was wrong.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and the bear turned to face the last person he wanted to see right now. Ranger Smith. His normally beleaguered face was filled with concern.

"Hey, Ranger Smith, I didn't do anything this time. Really, I swear!" Yogi said.

"I know that, Yogi. And don't worry; I'm not here to lecture you," the ranger said, which surprised the bear. "I've come here to warn you."

"Warn me?" Yogi was confused. "About what, Ranger?"

"The Heartless," the human said, "and why they attacked you."

"You mean those creatures that attacked us and everyone in Jellystone?" Yogi replied.

Ranger Smith nodded. "They're the ones that took me hostage, and they've taken the hearts of the people of this park," he said.

Yogi's eyes boggled in shock. "Wait a second. You were taken hostage?!"

"Yeah. It wasn't pleasant, let me tell you. But I managed to break free long enough to overhear a few things, since you were thrown into this mess," Smith replied. He looked around quickly, as though someone was watching them. Then he leaned in closer, bringing his voice to a low whisper. "I overheard some things from these strange people. These guys are a group called Organization XIII, and said they were keeping a close eye on these people called the Seven."

"Who are they?" Yogi asked.

"I don't know, but the strange thing is, they said that you were one of them. They said that they sent the Heartless to attack you because…" Here, the man swallowed, and Yogi saw a flash of pain fill his eyes. He let out a shaky breath before continuing. "You had to die, Yogi."

Yogi reeled back in shock, stepping away from the park ranger. "Ranger Smith, if you're trying to scare me into not stealing anymore picnic baskets, I think I've got the point," he said.

"This isn't about the picnic baskets, Yogi. This is about the safety of the whole world! No, scratch that-the _universe _is at stake, you know!" Ranger Smith pleaded.

_Oh great, now he's completely losing it! _Yogi thought about telling the park ranger that, but something told him that the ranger was being serious. He kept silent, trying to make sense of what the ranger was telling him.

"Yogi, I know this sounds ridiculous coming from me. But if you don't listen to me, you'll be walking out there unprepared! You could be-"

Ranger Smith's sentence was cut off abruptly when the sky exploded into black. Wicked winds replaced the calm breeze that had been ruffling through the park earlier, and trees were ripped from their roots and sucked into the void. Yogi looked up, his jaw dropping open as he looked at the horrible sight in the sky. A large orange, black and yellow vortex spread throughout the sky, swallowing everything in sight. Horrified screams echoed through the air as tourists were pulled inside.

"Ranger, what's going on?!" Yogi yelled, turning towards him.

Ranger Smith went pale. "The Door…has been opened," he said.

"What?!"

There was a loud, earth-splitting explosion, and the whole ground split in half, separating Yogi from Ranger Smith. Yogi struggled to keep himself steady, while the park ranger was trying to not get sucked into the void.

"RANGER SMITH!" Yogi yelled.

The park ranger turned towards Yogi, tears in his eyes. "Good luck, Yogi! We all believe in you!" he yelled. His declaration was soon drowned out by the wind, which swept him upwards and sent him into the void. Even over the roaring wind, Yogi could hear the ranger's terrified scream as he was pulled inside.

Soon, Yogi found himself swept off of his feet, his eyes filled with orange and red light as the void grew closer. He covered his eyes, and he found himself at gravity's mercy as he was hurtled through the void. The roar of the wind drowned out his terrified scream, but it didn't drown out the voice he heard echoing around him…

_"The Door has been opened. Your adventure has begun. Do not fear, for there are more to help you on your quest. Do your best, Yogi…do your best…"_

That was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

* * *

When Yogi drifted back to consciousness, the first thing he felt was pain. His whole body burned from the wounds he'd sustained from the fight, and his eyes felt like they were superglued shut. He felt coolness on his fur, and he realized that he must be covered by something.

"-ny chance of him waking up?"

"-course. He and Huckleberry were beaten up pretty bad, but they'll make it."

"I swear, the Heartless are going to _pay _for this."

"Not the Heartless, Reginald. The person who opened the Door of Darkness must be brought to trial. They have put this innocent world in danger…"

The second thing he registered were voices echoing all around him. The first voice was definitely Boo-Boo. The second was the doctor who'd taken him in. But the other two voices were ones he had trouble recognizing. He was also confused by the terms they were using. The Heartless? The Door of Darkness? What were those?

A sharp pang resounded through his head, and he groaned in pain.

Someone gasped, and the next thing Yogi knew, his right arm was being pulled on. "Yogi! Yogi, can you hear me?!" Boo-Boo.

"…yeah, I can," he croaked out, prying his eyes open. Blinding light flooded into them moments later, and the blurry forms of Dr. Quest, Boo-Boo and two men he didn't recognize came into view. He blinked a few more times in order to refocus his gaze. Judging from the trajectory of the sunlight, it must be morning of early afternoon.

"How are you feeling, Yogi?" Dr. Quest asked.

"Uh...as though someone scratched me up and then set me on fire," Yogi replied.

"That wouldn't be an inaccurate statement," the hooded man to Dr. Quest's left said. "Neoshadows are very powerful Heartless known for their physical attacks."

Yogi looked at everyone, and then focused his gaze on the man standing next to Dr. Quest. His clothes were white with black swirls that looked like flames dancing across the length of his arms. On his back was a large sword that appeared to be made out of metal and gold. His hair was black, short and spiky like a porcupine's quills. Icy blue eyes locked with Yogi's eyes, filled with an intensity that demanded he was to taken seriously.

"Who are you…?" Yogi asked before clearing his throat. It felt as though he'd swallowed a pound of gravel and chunks of it were stuck there.

"I am Reginald, one of the members of the Inner Circle. The man next to your friend there is Alec, one of my teammates," the man explained, gesturing to the man with red and black clothes. His hair was a mixture of dark brown and dirty blonde, with several strands falling loose around his face. His eyes were like deep magma pools.

"Uh…I'm Yogi," he replied. "I don't really do much other than steal picnic baskets."

"We know what you do, Yogi." Reginald seemed impatient. "In fact, we know what you all do."

Boo-Boo turned towards them in alarm. "A-Are you people spies?"

Alec shook his head. "No. We're more like…the police of this whole universe, if you can think of it that way," he said.

Yogi's eyes opened wide, his mind going back to the dream he'd had before he'd woken up. Ranger Smith's panicked voice rang through his ears…

_This is about the safety of the whole world! No, scratch it-the _universe _is at stake!_

"T-This whole universe?" Yogi repeated numbly.

"I can see we'll have a lot of explaining to do," Reginald replied. "We started to tell your friend Boo-Boo about why the Heartless have been attacking, but we wanted to wait until after you awoke to go into detail."

"The Heartless?" Yogi felt his body temperature go down a few degrees when he heard the name. "What are the Heartless?"

"The Heartless are creatures born of darkness, and they live off of the darkness in people's hearts. The more darkness they consume, the more powerful they will become. They have been used many times in other universes by forces of evil that wish to conquer others," Alec began. "The only weapon that can destroy them is the Keyblade."

"What's a Keyblade?"

Reginald turned towards the wall, and Yogi turned to see the sword he'd suddenly acquired resting against the wall. The sunlight against the leaves caused them to glow a soft green. "That sword that you received last night during that battle is a Keyblade. It is a sword of great power, although not everyone gets to wield one," he said.

"How come?" Yogi asked.

"Keyblades are very picky about who gets to wield them," Alec said. "Most Keyblade Bearers are chosen by the Keyblades themselves. Your Keyblade, Forever Green, chose you."

"Wow, I didn't expect to have a weapon of my own!"

"But, why are these Keyblades showing up now of all times?" Boo-Boo asked. "You were going to tell me that right before Yogi woke up."

"That is because the Heartless that attacked you, Yogi and Huckleberry Hound are after the bearers of the Keyblades. Heartless usually do attack people, but these attacks that have been happening recently…" Reginald's right hand balled into a fist. "These attacks were intentional. They were out to murder you."

Yogi felt as though the bed had opened up under him. There were people he knew that outright disliked him, but they wanted to _murder _him and his friends? The thought of it… "You've got to be joking," he countered, his voice shaky, "right?"

Reginald shook his head. "I'm afraid not. These Heartless were possibly ordered to kill you and Huckleberry, as well as the other Keyblade bearers in this universe. Attacks like the one in Jellystone Park have been occurring everywhere as of late. We watched as everything started to fall apart." His eyes disappeared underneath his bangs. "And then we realized that we needed more help if we were going to destroy the Heartless and find the one who opened the Door of Darkness."

"What's the Door of Darkness?" For some reason that he couldn't explain, Yogi had a feeling he knew the answer.

Reginald made to answer, but that was when Alec beat him to the punch. "The Door of Darkness is a gate that holds all forces of evil. One of the forces of evil is the Heartless. They cannot be released unless someone opens the door. Somebody, and I'm not sure who, opened the Door, and now the Heartless are invading and devouring every world they find," he said. He looked at Yogi, and for a moment his eyes brightened. "Have you undergone your Awakening, Yogi?"

"My Awakening?" Yogi was confused. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"The Awakening is basically the process that determines if you are worthy enough to wield the Keyblade. It comes to potential wielders in the form of a dream," Reginald explained. "Depending on what path you choose during your trial, a certain Keyblade will choose you as its master."

"You may not remember it all because of the fact that it appeared as a dream," Alec added, "but I do believe that the part with the Heartless should be familiar."

Boo-Boo looked at his older friend. "Yogi, do you remember anything from that?" he asked.

Yogi's expression became a concerned frown as he tried to remember what he'd been dreaming of last night. Bits and pieces came back in spells…he remembered something about a voice guiding him to three large pedestals, each containing a sword, a shield and a staff. He remembered picking the shield after seeing the horrific consequences of choosing the sword and staff. And then, he remembered fighting some strange black creatures with glowing yellow eyes…

Yogi gasped. "Hey, I _do _remember that Awakening sequence now!" he said. "I had chosen the Shield as my path!"

"But, if you chose the shield, then why would you get a sword as your weapon?" Boo-Boo asked.

"I don't know," Yogi asked. "Maybe that voice missed something."

Alec choked on what must've been air. Reginald ignored his friend's attempt to hold his laughter, and turned towards Yogi. "For some reason, the same has happened with Huckleberry Hound. His path was that of the Wizard, but he ended up receiving the True Blue Star instead of his desired powers," he said. "Perhaps fate intervened for the both of you."

"Or perhaps the person who was supposed to hold the True Blue Star was skipped over," Alec replied, regaining his composure. "That happens as well."

"True. But in this case, both Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear have received their Keyblades at just the right time. It won't be long before the other remaining five receive theirs," Reginald replied.

"Wait, there are five more Keyblade bearers?" Dr. Quest looked intrigued.

"Well, there are many more in this universe thanks to this incident occurring," Reginald stated, "but there are seven who we have chosen to take up this quest and lead the others to victory. Huckleberry and Yogi are two of them."

Yogi's blood went cold at that, his mind once more flashing back to what Ranger Smith had said about him being one of the "Seven", and that there were people trying to kill him. He had hoped someone would explain what those creatures were and why he and Huck were being attacked, but Reginald's and Alec's explanations had left him with more questions than answers.

"This is just unbelievable," he said finally. "I mean, I've dealt with all sorts of stuff before, but…"

"Nothing like this, I assume?" Alec added, to which Yogi nodded. The man sighed. "I suppose this was a bit too much to dump on you immediately after you've woken up, Yogi. I hope you forgive me."

"Oh, don't mind him," Reginald replied, rolling his eyes. "He's too formal and polite, always apologizing to people. Sometimes I swear he's a doormat."

"Hey, he kinda sounds like Huck," Yogi replied. "He's a really nice guy, but he takes too much punishment without complaint."

"He and Alec ought to get along just fine," Reginald said, which earned him a glare from Alec. "Speaking of Huckleberry, isn't Leopold talking to him right now?"

"Yes, but he's been gone for a long ti-"

The door opened to reveal another white robed man, with black belts and cross designs adorning his clothes. His black boots were caked with dirt. His blue eyes, normally alight with electricity, were darker than thunderclouds.

The mood in the room immediately tensed up as everyone watched the man collapse into a nearby chair, letting out a long sigh through his nose. Alec and Reginald looked at each other uneasily and then at the man.

"So…I take it things didn't go as well as planned?" Alec asked.

"Well, I managed to talk some sense into him," Leopold replied, "but I'm not kidding when I say that he didn't take it very well." He looked up at the group, who was staring at him in shock. "He was not too happy with what I told him."

* * *

_"What was supposed to be a fun family vacation turned into a horrific nightmare for many. Tourists and campers of the popular vacation spot Jellystone Park have reported that black creatures with glowing yellow eyes and shooting fire attacked them. Most of the visitors have escaped, but there have been reports of disappearances, including that of Park Ranger Joseph Smith. Our news anchor has the details."_

_CLICK._

Huck set the remote down on the bedside table next to him, his eyes narrowing in concern. He felt cold despite the warm temperature in the room, and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders, giving a hearty shiver. His eyes remained glued to the floor, his mind running on what he'd just heard.

When he'd woken up, he'd encountered a strange man wearing a white hood standing next to his bed, immediately though that it was the Grim Reaper, and freaked out. After having to calm him down, the man explained that his name was Leopold, a member of a strange group called the Inner Circle, and that he had saved his and Yogi's lives. He explained a lot of things about what was going on, such as Huck's strange sword, which was really a Keyblade known as the True Blue Star, and it had chosen _him _of all people to wield it. The creatures that had attacked him and Yogi were called Heartless, and there were over a hundred different varieties of them that were in this universe. When Huck asked why they were attacked, Leopold explained that someone had opened the "Door of Darkness" that held the Heartless, releasing them into the world with the intention to destroy. He also told Huck that he and Yogi would have to go on a quest as soon as they were better, and locate five other people in order to save the universe.

Huck had been expecting some answers to his questions, but he hadn't expected to be told that he would have to _fight _the Heartless and find whoever released them. Well, that wasn't too big of a surprise. He always ended up having to fight against somebody or something. He had accepted that with some degree of resignation, and controlled calm, as he felt himself getting angry.

What Leopold had said next, though, had thrown that calm out of the window.

* * *

_"I know this is sort of sudden to dump on you, but I know for certain that you don't want a repeat of what happened to Pixie, Dixie and Mr. Jinks," Leopold replied. He knew it was a low blow, but he had to do whatever it took to get his point across._

_The moment he saw Huck's face, however, he realized he'd shoved his foot into his mouth. The look of sorrowful anger on his face could have melted even the steeliest of hearts._

_"Oh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit a sore spot about-"_

_"How did you know, Leopold?" Huck asked, cutting Leopold off mid-apology. His voice was dangerously low._

_The Inner Circle's leader swallowed. "W-We…we oversee everything, Huck. We were planning to get involved, I swear. It's just…"_

_"It's just what?" Huck snapped. "That you were probably too chicken to even help me and my friends back there?! My friends would b-be at home right now, l-livin' their lives and not end captured by t-these Heartless monsters if you had j-just _helped_!"_

_Leopold stared at Huck as he began to cry, his body shuddering with sobs. He didn't know what to do. He had only meant to get the point across to the hound, not make him cry. His steely expression melted into guilt. What he had said instead had opened a dangerous wound._

_Huck hurriedly swiped his tears away with his bandaged hands, and sniffled hard. _

_"…I'm sorry," Leopold said again. "The thing is, w-we actually just wanted to see just how powerful you are, t-to put you through a test-"_

_"Well guess what, Leopold? sorry just won't cut it. Sorry doesn't change the fact that they're gone. I watched that Heartless sink into the floor with two of my friends," Huck growled, his voice carrying a sob. His eyes focused on Leopold like a laser. "And now, you're telling me that you watched the whole thing and that you could've helped the whole time but you didn't because you wanted to _test me_?"_

_Leopold looked guiltily at the floor as the full realization of what he'd done hit him everywhere it hurt. He found, shockingly, that he couldn't come up with a good offense to the hound's accusations. Normally, he was the negotiator. He was the one who knew how to turn a situation in his favor. He was the one who brushed off mistakes._

_For the first time in a very long time, he had never felt this cornered._

_There was a minute of long, uncomfortable silence between them as Huck tried to calm himself down. To Leopold, that minute felt like hours. He was certain that Huck wouldn't agree to go on this quest now. Not after what he and the rest of the Inner Circle did._

_Finally, Huck's voice, calmer but as cold as an ice bolt, reached his ears. _

_"Listen, Leopold, I'll go on this little quest of yours. And I'll help you save the universe, especially since there are people out there who need help," he said._

_Leopold let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Oh, that's a reli-"_

_"Don't you dare get happy about this," Huck interrupted, noticing the man's face starting to turn into a grin. The smile disappeared in a split second. "I'm agreein' to go on this here quest on one condition: you and your friends had **better** help people when you see them in trouble, _especially _my friends. They are very important to me, and I will do anything to protect them. If you abandon them because you want to 'see what they can do' and they get hurt or killed because of it, I will come after you, I will find you, and I will make you regret the day you chose me to hold this here Keyblade. I **guarantee it.**" The last few words were hissed through gritted teeth. _

_Leopold looked at this hound dog, ready to brush off the threat with a boast of how he was no match for him… and saw an inferno raging in those lazy, half-lidded eyes. He had seen Huck tear through the Heartless like they were paper when they tried to kill him, Yogi and Boo-Boo. He had seen Huck push himself out of a totaled van in order to help his best friend, despite having glass and metal wedged inside his body and losing blood. _

_Looking into those angry, half-lidded eyes, Leopold could see just how serious Huckleberry Hound was with his threat…and to his shock, he found himself unnerved._

_The inferno in Huck's eyes died almost instantly, replaced by a sea of calm. He turned away from the man, reaching for the remote on the nightstand. He turned on the television, and the room was filled with the sounds of several talk show hosts arguing. He didn't even look at Leopold._

_"If you don't mind," he said, his voice even, "I'd like to be left alone for a while. Just to get my head cleared up."_

_He almost smirked when Leopold ran out the door._

* * *

Huck could feel the anger he'd unleashed at Leopold earlier threatening to bubble up inside him, and he forced the feeling down. He usually never let anything bother him, be it abuse from others or how things never went his way, but this…this was about the safety of his _friends. _Pixie, Dixie and Mr. Jinks had needed help, and the Inner Circle had thought it was okay to let him play hero while they spectated on him from the sidelines. He didn't care if they were exceedingly powerful people or not; he _would _find a way to take them down if they pulled a stunt like that again.

Huck let out a long, angry breath through his nose. There had only been a few times in his life where he'd been this angry. He decided to take his mind off of things by turning on the TV again. His favorite talk show would be on soon anyway…

Just then someone knocked on the door. He cleared his throat, as it had suddenly gone dry, and said, "Come in!"

The door burst open, and a pink blur rushed through, so fast that Huck couldn't tell who or what it was. An eyeblink later, the air was being squeezed out of his lungs as the blur crashed into him, almost tackling him out of the bed. He tried to shove the person off, but whoever was holding him had the strength of a mountain lion.

"Who in the heck are-"

"Heavens to Murgatroyd, Huck! I was just watching the news and they said you and Yogi were attacked! Beaten! Almost _killed_, even!" the person blubbered.

Huck's eyes widened when he heard the voice. In fact, the moment he smelled the cologne, he knew just who it was.

_"Snag?!_" he gasped, forcibly pulling the mountain lion off of him. What he saw made him gape.

Indeed, Snagglepuss stood before him, but he hardly looked the same. His fur looked like he'd just gotten out of bed and tumbled with a porcupine, and there were bags under his eyes, which were almost as red as his bowtie. It was a definite first for Huck, since he knew Snagglepuss would _never _show up looking like a hot mess.

"What are you doing here?! I thought you were on vacation!" Huck gasped, still not believing that his old friend was here.

"I was! But I cut my trip a few days early because I had the _strangest _experience that I had to share with you and Yogi," he said. "When I got off of the plane, I saw you, Yogi and Boo-Boo on the news, and I rushed here! Broke the laws of the road, even!"

"Yeah, we're mighty popular nowadays," Huck replied._ He must've been really worried,_ he thought. "But…what sort of strange experience were you going to tell me and Yogi about?"

Snagglepuss' eyes brightened. "It deals with this!" he exclaimed. He then snapped his fingers dramatically, and a bright flash filled the room. Huck covered his eyes with his hands, and when the light disappeared, he uncovered them to see what had just happened. His eyes bugged out in shock.

In Snagglepuss' hands was a Keyblade. This one appeared to be based off of a movie motif, as the cross-guard resembled a clapboard, only that it was red and gold instead of black and white. The blade itself was gold, and the weak of the blade had a star resembling that of the Hollywood stars of fame. A chain of miniature gold stars with 'Best Actor' dangled down the pommel.

"The design for this is beautiful! Gorgeous! Fabulous, even! I wish it weren't a weapon though. I'd hate for anything to get on it-Heavens to Murgatroyd, you're whiter than a sheet of paper, Huck!" Snag stared at the hound dog, whose face had gone white in shock.

"I-I don't believe it…I didn't believe Leopold when he told me there were other Keyblade bearers, but now…" Huck held his forehead with his hand, feeling the world starting to spin under him.

"Wait a second. Who's this Leopold guy?"

"Well, I would introduce him to you, but I kinda drove him away," Huck said.

"Oh dear," Snag replied, a hand flying to his chin in thought. "What, did he insult you or something?"

"No…he actually told me something that made me really angry."

"Such as?" Snag pulled a chair over to Huck's bedside and leaned over his sword, his eyes narrowed in concern.

Huck sighed. "You might want to find something more comfortable to lean against. It's a long story."

* * *

"Wow. I didn't think Huck would get _that _angry," Yogi replied. "It sounds nothing like the dog I know."

"Then again, he wasn't the only one who was abandoned in his time of need." Boo-Boo looked from Yogi to Dr. Quest with another glare. "You needed help, too, Yogi, and nobody was able to give it to you."

Dr. Quest sighed. "As I explained before, Boo-Boo, I would have helped, but I had a duty to do as your doctor. Yogi trusted me to take care of you, and I didn't want to abandon you. That Neoshadow that came in the hospital room could have killed you, or it could have kidnapped you like the Shadows kidnapped Pixie, Dixie and Mr. Jinks," he said. "I do hope you understand what I'm saying."

Boo-Boo scoffed. "I understand it alright," he said.

Yogi sighed, his expression sad. "Jinks and I were good friends. Not as good as me and Boo-Boo, or me and Huck, but we were good friends," he said. "Why did they have to kidnap them?"

Reginald shook his head. "I don't know. The Heartless prey on the darkness in people's hearts, but it's obvious that the attacks that occurred recently are aimed at the Seven. It seems to me that they're trying to take everything that's dear to you in order to break you," he said.

"Well, they're doing a pretty good job of it," Yogi groaned. "Huck's already upset as it is."

"And how are you feeling about this, Yogi?" Alec asked, his expression soft.

"To be honest, I'm kind of disturbed. I never thought in a long time that me or Huck would become the center of an all-out war," Yogi said. "I don't want the world to be destroyed by these creatures, but I don't want to leave our remaining friends behind. I'm afraid they'll get kidnapped."

Leopold nodded. "You have every right to be worried, Yogi. Many Keyblade bearers have said the same thing. Hopefully, things won't get out of hand so that we can resolve this situation peacefully."

"Will you do what Huck recommended, Leopold?" Alec asked. "He probably won't take up the quest fully unless you swear to agree to help him and his friends if they need it."

Leopold sighed. "I know. And part of this was my fault. I was the one who disagreed with your suggestion to explain everything to him, Alec, and now look where it's brought us," he said. He stood up slowly, and the other three members stood as well. "It's about time I gave him an apology."

"In that case, we'll come with you," Reginald said. "It wasn't just you who didn't help him or Yogi, after all."

"We will return shortly, my friends," Alec said, turning towards Yogi and Boo-Boo. "We just have some business to take care of first."

With that, the three men walked out the door, their expressions serious and their Keyblades clanking against their backs as they walked. The door closed ominously behind them.

Dr. Quest sighed, rubbing his forehead. "What a night," he groaned. "I hope no more of this Keyblade incident pops up today, or I'm going to need an aspirin."

"Sorry, Dad, but I think that's going to be happening a lot today."

All three occupants turned to find the source of the voice. A teenaged boy who looked to be no older than 16 stood in the doorway. He had a shock of blond hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a long sleeved black shirt and light blue jeans, with black and white sneakers. Beside him, a small white dog with a black coloration over his eyes yapped excitedly.

It was Dr. Quest who spoke first. "Jonny! I thought you and Hadji were at school!" he said.

Jonny stepped in, looking nervous. "Well, we were," he started, "but then there was some trouble. These strange creatures came in and started attacking people, literally eating their hearts out. Hadji and I barely got out of there in time."

Dr. Quest's expression was unreadable, but one could have sworn a lightning bolt went off in his eyes. "Was there anybody there who received a Keyblade, Jonny?" he asked.

"Yeah." There was a bright flash, and the next thing that either of them knew, a Keyblade that appeared to be made out of aircraft alloy materialized into Jonny's hands. The guard appeared to be in the shape of the wings of a jet, and the blade was long and thin like a rapier. On the weak of the blade was what appeared to be a bandit's mask, only with edges decorating it.

He looked up at his father and the two bears, who stared at him in utter shock. "I did."

* * *

**_For those of you wondering, the whole purpose of Snagglepuss and Jonny in this chapter is to show that many, many residents of this world have received Keyblades. They won't really be playing a role in the story…though Snag will travel with Huck and Yogi for a little while, even though he's not one of the main characters. I did like writing Snagglepuss in this chapter. I always found the way he talked to be hilarious. As he aspires to be an actor, his Keyblade is inspired by the Oscars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I'm thinking of calling it "Starstruck". _**

**_The next chapter will define the Inner Circle a bit more, since they're really flat characters at the moment. The only dimension I've showed of them was their professional front when dealing with things like this, but I've got to show some more of their strengths and flaws later. This chapter, however, shows that even omniscient police aren't perfect. _**

**_As for Boo-Boo and Huck, I enjoyed working on their characters in this chapter. They may seem a bit OOC in this, but they have their reasons. Huck was angry at Leopold because when he received his Keyblade, his friends had already disappeared, he was up against a whole legion of Heartless and he didn't know what to do with his newfound powers. The Inner Circle, who is much more powerful than him AND has the means to help (not to mention they could have explained what his new weapon was), sat back and watched the fight to see if he would come out on top. He did, but not before watching his friends get taken by the Heartless, something that the Inner Circle could have prevented. _**

**_Boo-Boo was mad at Dr. Quest for sending Yogi out to fight the Heartless knowing that he wouldn't do without a Keyblade, and that he wouldn't even fight the Neoshadows either. Next chapter will have to deal with how Huck and Boo-Boo will deal with this situation and (possibly) forgive Dr. Quest and Leopold._**

**_The mystery as to why Jinks, Pixie, Dixie, and Ranger Smith were kidnapped will be solved in due time. If you must know, it has to deal with a certain Organization. I'll be doing some more research on Kingdom Hearts for the later parts of this story._**

**_We have one more chapter to go before Top Cat appears, and a few more chapters before Quick Draw appears. The group is starting to form together!_**

**_I hope you enjoy this chapter!_**


	4. Chapter 4: Picking Up the Pieces

**A/N: **Hey, folks. I held this chapter back so that I could finish up some of my other stories. This chapter's more of an exposition chapter with a little action thrown in at the end, and chapter 5 will be more of a break chapter (somewhat).

**Disclaimer: **As usual, I own nothing except for the original characters.

* * *

***~CHAPTER 4~***

**Picking Up the Pieces**

"And that's pretty much what happened, Snag. I was knocked out by that Heartless, and I couldn't move to even save Yogi from danger. He was knocked out before I was."

"Heavens to Murgatroyd! That sounds terrible!" Snagglepuss declared, his eyes wide with horror as Huck finished with his tale. He had sat here for almost ten minutes, listening as the hound recounted all the details of last night. The moment Huck started talking about how the doctors had said he was lucky to survive, Snagglepuss was glad that he had come back early. He wouldn't be able to handle the guilt if both Huck and Yogi died, and he was halfway around the world, sightseeing.

"It sure was. I'm just glad to be mostly in one piece. One thing I'm not glad about, though, is the fact that I have to head right out and fight those creatures again," Huck replied. His expression was as dark as thunderclouds. "I don't really trust the Inner Circle."

"Judging by how they watched the fight and then came in right after you and Yogi were attacked, I don't trust them either!" Snagglepuss replied. "I would go right over to them and chew them out! Use this Keyblade to do so, even!"

"That won't be necessary, Snag. I've already put their leader on notice," Huck replied. "They won't be pulling a stunt like that again on my watch."

There was a knock on the door, and Snagglepuss turned to answer it. "Come in!" he called.

The doors opened, and the last people Huck wanted to see strode in. Compared to earlier, Leopold looked humbled, while Alec's and Reginald's expressions were carefully unreadable. They filed into the room as though in a funeral procession, carrying an air of regret that quelled Huck's anger for the time being.

Seeing as the pink mountain lion was looking ready to claw their throats out, Leopold asked, "Is this a bad time to offer an apology?"

Snagglepuss scoffed. "You bet it is. Who do you think you are, sitting back and watching the whole fight when you had the means to help? You've got some nerve coming up here!" he started. "You should be happy that I'm not that violent, because I could put my mountain lion instincts to use! Add in a bit of this Keyblade, even!"

Alec sighed. He'd had a feeling someone wasn't going to be happy with the way they handled this situation. One look at Reginald told him he was thinking the same. Surprisingly, it was Leopold who spoke.

"I gathered that from my earlier…conversation with Huckleberry Hound," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I talked with Alec and Reginald, and they agreed that we took the wrong course of action. It was my idea to wait to get involved and to tell you what was happening, and it was through that action that innocent people were brought into this situation. For that, I must apologize."

There was a moment of silence that permeated the entire room. Snagglepuss's look of utter rage melted to reveal dumbfounded shock. Likewise, Huck also gave Leopold a stare of utter disbelief, his eyes wider than saucers. Alec looked at his leader with surprise, while Reginald snickered.

"Well, what do you know? Leopold admitting a mistake," he said. "I guess miracles do happen."

This statement earned him a cold glare from Leopold, to which he shrugged innocently. Huck chuckled slightly, a drastic change from his angry moment from earlier.

"I forgive you, Mr. Leopold, sir," Huck said. "And I hope you'll forgive me for my earlier outburst. That's nothing like me at all, honest. I'm pretty sure you've heard from Yogi that I don't really get angry."

"Yes, he did tell us that you were like a different person when we told him about what happened," Alec said. "And on that note, we forgive you as well. Although I have to admit, it is quite interesting to note that you managed to unnerve our leader."

Snagglepuss' expression may have softened, but his tone was still skeptical. "Oh, alright. I forgive you guys, too. But I'm standing by Huck on this one. Don't leave people alone to die if you see them in trouble, alright?" he said.

Everyone nodded, and Snagglepuss sighed. "Well! Now that we've got that cleared up, I am going off to the restroom to clean myself up and get breakfast. I think they said they're having sausage biscuits for breakfast, Huck," he said, getting up from the chair.

"I'd appreciate that. Thanks, Snag," Huck replied as his friend went to the door.

Alec looked at Snagglepuss, confusion on his face. "I personally don't see anything wrong with you, Snagglepuss," he said.

Snag's head turned so fast, he heard an audible crick in his neck. "Are you crazy? I'm not going to go down there looking like _this_! I look hideous! Monstrous, even!" he said. "My fur's in shambles and I look like a reincarnation of Dracula! And that doesn't look like anything wrong to you?"

Alec found he couldn't find anything to say to that. Snagglepuss nodded. "I thought so," he said. "I'll be back _tout de suite _everyone; you won't even miss me." And with that, he was out the door.

Huck laughed upon seeing Alec's stunned face. "I should've told you; Snag's quite a character," he said between giggles.

"I-Indeed…"

* * *

One could hear a pin drop in the silence that permeated Yogi's hospital room. Boo-Boo's and Yogi's eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets, while Dr. Quest looked ready to explode.

"Jonny," he started calmly, "where did you get that Keyblade?"

Jonny looked at the weapon in his hands. "To be honest, Dad, I really don't know. I had tried shooting those creatures in the face, but it didn't quite work," he explained. "In a matter of seconds, Hadji and I were cornered. One of them almost clawed Hadji to pieces before I ended up getting this Keyblade."

"How did it appear?" Dr. Quest asked.

"Well, it just appeared in a flash of light, you know?" Jonny stated, as though it were obvious. "It appeared in my hands out of nowhere, and I used it to defeat the creatures that were attacking me and Hadji. We got out of there just before the school was overrun by them."

"That's exactly what happened to us!" Yogi interjected, causing the boy to stare at him in surprise. "Jellystone was overrun by the Heartless, and we barely escaped with our lives!"

"Yogi and Boo-Boo, who come from Jellystone Park, had the same thing happen to them," Dr. Quest said, motioning to Yogi and Boo-Boo in turn. "I would be surprised if other places weren't attacked by now."

"I think Huck was attacked in his own home by the Heartless," Boo-Boo replied. "That's how Pixie, Dixie and Mr. Jinks were kidnapped."

"Then the situation is as bad as I thought," Dr. Quest replied. "I have to let the Inner Circle know about this immediately. This is the fifth time someone has received a Keyblade."

"And there could be even more people that we don't know about, right, Dad?" Jonny asked.

"Right, Jonny. We'll have to look into this more thoroughly. I might be able to figure out just who Yogi and Huck are going up against," Dr. Quest said. "I can't allow them to go out unprepared."

He then turned towards Boo-Boo, a sad expression on his face. "I must apologize to you, Boo-Boo and Yogi. You wouldn't be in this mess were it not for my cowardice. I swear, next time I'll provide you with the right weapons."

Yogi smiled. "Hey, no problem, Dr. Quest. I'm just glad it wasn't Boo-Boo out there," he said.

Boo-Boo sighed, then nodded. "Okay. I accept your apology. Also…sorry for my outburst yesterday," he said.

"Consider it forgotten," Dr. Quest replied. "There's nothing to apologize for."

"Hey Dad, mind if I step out to get some breakfast?" Jonny asked. "I'll need something in my stomach if we're going to hit the road soon."

"Okay, Jonny. And maybe you can bring back some food for Yogi and Boo-Boo as well. They haven't eaten anything since last night," he said.

"Okay. I think they said there's supposed to be sausage biscuits this morning," he said.

Yogi licked his lips at that. "In that case, I'd like ten; five for me and five for Boo-Boo!" he said.

Boo-Boo shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips. _Some things never change…_

* * *

_Unknown place_

"This is quite disappointing, Extinguisher," Xenahort said, watching the map before him without even looking at the man beside him. Beside him, Marluxia and Xenmas snickered. "It seems as though your Heartless have failed."

"They have not failed me yet," the man next to him replied. He was a broad-shouldered man who wore a black and red cloak. The hood of his cloak obscured most of his face from view, though only a stubble of a greying beard was visible. On his back was a black and red Keyblade that looked like a smaller version of a scythe. He looked over at Xenahort. "Apparently, these creatures are either highly resilient, or too stubborn to die."

"If you ask me, I'd say it's a mix of both," Xenmas said. "You should see half of the stuff these people go through on a day to day basis. It's amazing that they even survive half of it."

There was a beat as every member of Organization XIII and the Extinguisher looked at him. Xenmas shrugged and said, "I've been watching some of their past records. Shoot me already."

"Can we get back to the point?" Larxene snapped. "I've heard the argument several times already."

"Yes," the Extinguisher replied. "I need the Keyblade Bearers of this world destroyed as soon as possible. If the two that the Inner Circle identified as the Chosen finds the remaining five, then it will prove to be disastrous for my plans. I must have all stumbling blocks removed if I am to proceed with my plan."

"And if we are to proceed with our plan," Xigbar said. He glared at the Extinguisher. "Either way, you're going to be stuck with us for a long time."

"I was hoping he wouldn't," Larxene muttered.

"Alright, that's enough," Xenahort commanded. He turned towards the Extinguisher. "So, what are you going to do? Reveal yourself to the enemy?"

"No." The Extinguisher turned away from the members of the Organization. "I shall give my Heartless another chance. If those Bearers continue to be a problem, then I will solve it myself. In the meantime, I shall check on our prisoners."

"I would refrain from taunting them, if I were you," Xenahort warned. "You don't know what an animal will do when cornered."

"I shall make note of that," the Extinguisher answered. "I just need to make sure that none of them are trying to send out warnings to any of the Bearers."

With a wave of his hand, he disappeared into thin air. Larxene sniffed distastefully.

"I don't really like that man. He kind of gives me the creeps," she admitted. "Well, not nearly as much as the Inner Circle, though…"

"There are many mysteries about that man that have yet to be solved," Xenahort replied, "but for now, we have to trust that he will remove those stumbling blocks. So far, he's left both Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound incapacitated, and he has given us four fresh new hearts."

"And they're the hearts of their friends," Marluxia said. "Even better."

"Now then," Xenahort replied, leaning in his chair, "let's watch and see what the Extinguisher will do to our enemies, hm?"

* * *

**_As I said on my profile, this chapter is shorter than the last two, but I don't want to fill up chapters with meaningless filler. It bores me out, and I don't want my readers to get bored out either. _**

**_This chapter introduces the guy who has been sending out the Heartless to attack Huck's neighborhood and Jellystone Park: the Extinguisher. For those of you wondering, no, he's not another member of Organization XIII; he's more or less allied with them, as he needs their help as well to take over the rest of the H-B universe. Neither side really likes each other, and each is hiding secrets from the other. Organization XIII will have some roles in the future, but not much. You'll also find out later why the Extinguisher kidnapped Ranger Smith, Pixie, Dixie and Mr. Jinks, and what the Organization is planning to do._**

**_Even though he's not one of the Seven, Snagglepuss will be traveling with Huck and Yogi for the first few chapters. So that means he'll be around when the gang meets Top Cat in chapter 6. _**

**_Also, I'll need a beta reader for this story, someone who's really good at catching grammatical and spelling errors that I miss, as well as wonky wording. One Lucky Unicorn tipped me for this in the second chapter, and although I fixed the mistakes, I realized that I would need some help with spelling and wording issues. So, if anybody would like to help out a fellow author, I'd really appreciate it! _**

**_Chapter 5 will have some more of Yogi and Boo-Boo, some more action, and maybe a few more cameos from other H-B characters. As always, reviews are great, but I do appreciate constructive criticism just as much. I'll also be happy to answer any questions that you all have!_**

**_God bless, iheartgod175_**


	5. Chapter 5: Close Calls

**A/N: **Hey there, folks! Here is the fifth chapter of _The Heroes of Time. _Last chapter, the Inner Circle makes up to Yogi, Huck and Snag about their previous actions, but unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by the mysterious Organization XIII. They won't be appearing in this chapter, but they'll be mentioned by the members of the Inner Circle. This chapter should be a bit longer than the last one, which I had to shorten as I realized that I had written up some filler that was actually going to appear in this chapter. So, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **As I said before, I own nothing but my original characters.

* * *

***~CHAPTER 5~***

**Close Call  
**

_A few weeks later…_

Huck jumped to the right, barely avoiding the beam of light that whizzed past his skull by inches. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw three blue beams of light winking into existence and launching at him. He held his Keyblade in a guarding position, grimacing as each starbolt ricocheted off of the fuller and into the grass. Each blow sent shudders through his arms.

When a high-pitched whine sounded behind him, he somersaulted out of danger the moment a medium sized fireball shot from one of the practice drones; this one dressed to look like the Red Nocturnes he'd encountered before. The fireball crashed into the ground, burning part of the grass.

Landing in front of the drone, Huck dispatched it in three swings of his sword, which sent the drone falling to the ground in pieces. Loud whirring sounded behind him, and he turned to see two more drones surrounding him, these dressed as Stealth Soldiers.

Two of them phased out in front of them, their bodies becoming green blurs. Huck spun to the right just as the drone appeared, its claws raised in attack position. He dodged the first attack, and then caught the drone in a cut to its midsection. There was a burst of electricity as his sword cut cleanly through it, and wires spilled out everywhere as it fell to the ground. He didn't wait long to celebrate his victory, though, as the second drone was right behind him. At the last minute, he put his sword in a guarding position. There was a hiss resembling metal under a chainsaw as the drone's claws raked across the blade. The force of the blow almost caused his knees to buckle.

Thinking quickly, Huck used his right foot to kick the drone off, sending it back a few feet. It was back on its feet in no time, but Huck used the moment to lunge in for the attack. In three swings, the drone was on the ground, its body in pieces. Letting out a small exhale, he dropped his attack stance, hanging over to rest his aching shoulders.

From the shadows, Snagglepuss clapped. "That was amazing, Huck, simply amazing! You looked like a real swordsman, even!" he praised.

Huck turned towards the pink mountain lion with a smile. "Thanks, Snag. I think I've gotten better after Reginald taught me how to use some physical attacks in sword combat," he said.

In the span of a week, Huck and Yogi were healed of the gruesome injuries they had sustained after their battle with the Heartless. The Inner Circle had decided to teach them, as well as Snagglepuss, the art of swordplay. Alec had warned them that they wouldn't go easy on them because of their new status. He had proven his word when he had effortlessly knocked Snagglepuss' Keyblade away from him in under a minute. Reginald and Leopold weren't as brash as Alec was, but they weren't shabby in the sword department either. The first week alone had almost sent Huck back into his hospital bed. Thankfully, he got better around the second week of training.

"You've definitely improved in your offense, Huckleberry," Leopold stated, getting up from his position near the wall. "However, it appears that your defenses need a bit more work. You'll be encountering many different types of Heartless during your journey, and each one differs in power level. There will be times where your shielding skills will be required. Weak shielding will prove to be disastrous in battles where you fight against stronger opponents."

Huck sighed. "I've been tryin' to get better at this shieldin' business, but every time I attempt to, I always get beaten. Are you absolutely sure that Keyblade Bearers can't go around carryin' shields?"

"No Keyblade Bearer that I know has ever used a shield. They simply walk into battle with their Keyblade," Leopold said. "That, and their magic skills."

"You never told me that we'd be learnin' how to use magic," Huck said.

"I didn't want to dump that on you on the first day, as I wanted to teach you and Yogi about the Heartless and how to fight most of the variants. As you had trained under Touché Turtle before, I don't think I need to go through many exercises with you," Leopold explained. "However, when you go into battle, swordplay isn't going to be enough. When you're facing multiple enemies, sometimes the quickest way to destroy them is a well-placed spell."

"Like that Thunder spell you were trying to teach Yogi, right?" Snagglepuss asked.

Leopold nodded. "Thunder and Fire are the easiest spells to cast for beginning Keyblade users. As you grow stronger, you'll be able to cast more powerful variants of these spells. Thunder Rage is a specialty of mine, while Fire Burst is Alec's," he answered. "Over the course of your journey, you'll pick up more spells to add into your inventory."

"Huh. That sounds mighty interestin', but…doesn't it take time to learn how to cast spells? I mean, it's easy for you!"

"The only reason it's easy for me is because I've had a high aptitude for magic ever since I was a boy. I was already creating some of my own spells before I received my Keyblade," Leopold said. "However, even the most novice beginners can learn magic easily, if they dedicate enough time and training."

"I'm ready to dedicate time and trainin'. If I'm gonna fight against these Heartless and save my friends, I want to learn everythin' there is to know about these Keyblades," Huck said.

Leopold looked down at Huck, and saw the fire in his half-lidded gaze. He didn't have to ask if he was serious, or if he could handle it; he looked ready to take on a whole week's worth of training in one day. He smiled.

"Alright, then. After lunch, we'll begin our first lesson on the Thunder spell," Leopold replied.

"I'd like to learn about how to use these spells, too," Snagglepuss chimed in. "Alec's a good teacher, but he tossed me around like a pizza during our fencing lessons."

Leopold chuckled. "Very well, Snagglepuss."

* * *

Yogi, Reginald, Alec and Boo-Boo were already at the lunch table when Huck, Leopold and Snagglepuss walked in. "Hey, Huck, how was your training today?" Yogi asked.

"It went much better than it did yesterday," Huck answered, setting his tray on the table next to Boo-Boo. "I thought I would need to get some more stitches, since that drone nearly cut my shoulder open."

"Sheesh, that's some rough stuff," Yogi said, grimacing. "Reginald was showing me how to use a few magic spells."

"You're onto that already?" Huck asked, incredulous. "We've just started our magic lessons!"

"Yep! Reginald taught me everything I needed to know about swordplay in a week and a half. But these magic spells are taking a lot longer than I thought." Yogi sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Who knew you had to use a lot of math in order to make your own personal spells?"

Huck chuckled. "I feel you, Yogi. I don't really like math much, either," he said.

"I do!" Boo-Boo piped up. "I've been helping Yogi out with creating some of his spells. They're all pretty cool."

"And they do a number on you afterwards," Reginald said. "The first time he used one, he passed out and we had to call in Dr. Quest again."

"Speaking of him, I haven't seen him in a very long time," Yogi noted.

"He and his sons had to leave for a very important conference," Alec answered, toying with his spaghetti. "He said he'll probably be back in three days or so."

"Three days will give you plenty of time to prepare for your quest," Reginald said.

"Shuckins, I didn't think we'd be leavin' so soon," Huck said. "We've barely started the second half of our training."

"You all should be grateful that you have any training," Alec said. "Most Keyblade Bearers have to learn how to use their weapons while they're traveling. Trainers are few and in between."

"We understand that you're training us because Huck and I are the Chosen Ones, or something like that," Yogi started. "But couldn't you do the same for every other Keyblade Bearer?"

"Yeah. Couldn't you give them the training that you're givin' us?" Huck asked.

"If only we could." Leopold looked downcast. "Unfortunately, we never make it in time to help them. Either their hearts are consumed by greed, or they succumb to the Heartless and die. It's happened to us every single time we've arrived to help someone. Some of them…some of them are barely grown."

The whole table went silent at this. Even Yogi stopped eating, which was a rare occurrence.

"Is…is that why y'all didn't help me when I needed it?" Huck asked quietly, looking at Leopold. "You were afraid that I'd die if you tried to help?"

Leopold didn't look up from his plate. His blue eyes had turned nearly black with bitterness. Alec saw this and took up answering for his despondent leader.

"If it helps, it's one of the reasons why," Alec said. "Leopold decided afterwards that he'd never forcefully intervene in someone's fate again, as he felt that it would make their situation worse."

"But when Leopold told us what you said, about how your friends had been kidnapped and put in danger, we realized…we realized that we couldn't just sit back and let people die. That wasn't who we were," Reginald said. "We earned these Keyblades so we could protect our fellow Bearers; all of them, not just the people who are supposed to save the world."

"That's why I'm training you now," Leopold answered finally, catching everyone's attention. He looked around at Yogi, Boo-Boo, Huck and Snag. "I don't want any of you, or any of your loved ones, to die because of my foolish choices. More people have died because I wasn't more involved. I won't let that happen again."

Alec and Reginald nodded their approval, while Yogi and his friends didn't know what to say. They hadn't expected something like this to come from Reginald, who had been rather uptight when they had asked what had led him to help them before. Now, seeing the pain and regret in his eyes, they could see that he did indeed feel guilty for abandoning them, as it had brought up something that he was clearly trying to forget.

"Don't worry, Leopold," Yogi said. "We'll be careful during our journey."

"And we'll put everything you've been teachin' us to good use," Huck replied. "And we sure ain't gonna die, right, Yogi?"

"Yup. Cindy would hunt down the person who killed me if that happened," Yogi joked.

That brought some much needed laughter to the table. Even Leopold smiled, despite still feeling saddened. He was glad that they were trying to cheer him up.

"So, do you think that we'll have to be put under maximum protection until we get out of the hospital?" Snagglepuss asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid. The Heartless and whoever is summoning them could be close," Alec replied. "I don't want to take the risk of losing innocent people."

"Who'd wanna kill ush?" Huck mumbled, his mouth full of Philly cheesesteak.

"Huck! Mind your manners!" Snagglepuss chided.

Huck swallowed his bite of cheesesteak with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that," he replied. "I didn't realize just how hungry I was. This cheesesteak is mighty tasty, though."

"I figured that out when you ate two of them," Snagglepuss replied, which made Huck turn red.

"You wish to know who would kill you?" Alec paused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "That I don't know. I suppose it would have to be the person who opened the Door of Darkness."

"I guess since we have the power to destroy the Heartless, that person who opened the door doesn't want us getting in the way," Yogi said.

"Correct. And they'll keep attacking you until you're no longer in the way," Alec said. "That is why it is imperative that you start your mission immediately after your training. It is a lot for you to do, but..."

"I'll be alright. If it leads to my friends getting rescued, then I don't really mind going on an adventure," Huck said. "Things like this happen to us all the time, right, Yogi?"

"You bet! We've been on all sorts of crazy adventures," Yogi replied. "I think this'll top all our other ones as the craziest yet."

Alec nodded. "Good. For a moment, I feared you weren't going to agree," he said.

"You fear just about everything," Reginald scoffed.

Alec faced him with a small pout. "That is most certainly not true," he said. "I call it being reasonably cautious."

"I call it cowardice," Reginald sneered.

Leopold sighed. "Don't mind those two. They get into spats like this all the time," he said, turning to Snagglepuss and Huck.

"Tell me about it! Huck and I have similar spats like theirs all the time," Snag answered. "There was one time where he called me a flea-bitten fur rug..."

"I never called you that!" Huck protested.

"Oh, really? Remember the time when we were in Two-Bit?" he asked.

Huck's face went red with sheepish embarrassment. "Oh, yeah...I'm mighty sorry about that, Snag," he said.

"Don't mention it. That's not the first time I've been called that, you know," Snagglepuss replied.

Huck was about to ask who when a sudden cold chill washed over him, as though somebody had poured a bucket of cold water on his back. His eyes widened in shock.

"Huck? What's the matter?" Snagglepuss asked.

"Ever get the feeling that somebody or something's right behind you?" Huck replied.

All three members of the Inner Circle leaped to their feet, their weapons at the ready. Leopold surveyed the entire cafeteria, his eyes narrowing.

"Is this what I think it is?" Alec asked.

"It could be. They're not far from here," Leopold said.

"What do you mean, they're not far from here?" Huck and Snagglepuss echoed.

"It means that-" Leopold stopped mid-sentence, his eyes locking onto Huck. The coonhound stared at him, startled.

"What're you-"

Only a crackle of electricity gave Huck the barest of warnings. Something deadly sharp streaked behind him, barely missing his skull by a mere inch. Huck turned around, utterly shocked, to see one of the smaller Heartless standing right behind him, its claw raised in attack position. The upper half of its body slid to the left, while the other slid to the right. Both halves disappeared into a burst of smoke as soon as they hit the floor.

Leopold's weapon was positioned right behind Huck's chair, the blade leaking tendrils of electricity. His eyes were dark with anger as he glared at the spot where the Heartless had been. All around him, people were screaming in terror, but he didn't care.

Snagglepuss leaped out of his chair, terror in his eyes. "HEAVENS TO MURGATROYD! WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"That," Leopold said calmly, sheathing his weapon, "was one of the Heartless. It was obviously sent to kill you all."

Huck stared at the back of his chair, his eyes wider than saucers as he saw a needle-thin strand of his own fur right at the spot where the Heartless had been. He picked it up, swallowing a lump in his throat. This was the second time where he'd barely avoided death-this time, by a hair's breadth.

"That...that was cuttin' it close, Leopold," he said finally.

"Literally, even!" Snagglepuss agreed.

"If I had waited a second longer, you would have been dead," Leopold explained. He turned towards the other members of the Inner Circle. "I want you both to head outside. That must be where they're coming from."

"Right," Alec and Reginald replied. Drawing their hoods over their faces, they rushed out of the room, their boots clacking the floor.

"W-w-what do we do now?" Huck asked.

"I suggest we get out of here immediately!" Snagglepuss replied.

"I agree!" Yogi said quickly.

_"No." _The word was growled out. Leopold's glare was fierce as he turned to the Keyblade wielders. If either of you leave, you leave yourselves open to whoever is summoning the Heartless. They'll aim for the weaker of the two of you first." He turned towards Huck. "I am not going to endanger either of you."

"But, Mr. Leopold, sir," Huck started, "what if that person summoning the Heartless becomes a problem for y'all?"

Leopold sighed. "That is when we really start to worry," he said. "If I tell you to run, don't ask. Just do it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," everyone replied.

"Good. I'll be staying in here to make sure that no more Heartless attempt to come in. Whoever sent that assassin wants you dead before you have a chance to even start your mission," Leopold said.

"You really are serious about keeping your word, aren't you?" Huck asked.

"I am a man of my word, Huckleberry," Leopold answered. "When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. No exceptions."

* * *

"Well, this should provide them with a challenge."

Standing outside of the hospital, the Extinguisher watched Reginald and Alec make their way to the front doors through a blue holographic sphere of light. Although they had guessed that someone was ordering the Heartless to attack, neither of them had felt his presence at all, which meant that his cloaking device was working perfectly.

However, he had no time to personally oversee the deaths of Yogi, Huck or that annoying pink mountain lion. There was another place he had to go to...a place where one of the Seven was sure to be located. If he could draw him out before he had a chance to even meet with any of the others, then he would be free to move things along in order to continue with his plan.

The Extinguisher snapped his fingers, and two portals appeared on either side of him. He didn't even turn around when the Neoshadows got down on one knee and bowed before him.

"I want you to head to the cafeteria, and make sure that none of the Keyblade Bearers make it out of there alive," he ordered. "And if possible, destroy the members of the Inner Circle. With them out of the way, I shall be free to make short work of the remaining five." A cruel smile graced the Extinguisher's lips. "Xenahort and the rest of the Organization will be pleased."

The Neoshadows sank back into the portals, making their way into the hospital. With a wave of his hand, he disappeared without a trace.

* * *

"Do you think this could be an attack set by…them?" Alec asked breathlessly as they made their way through the corridors.

Leopold sighed. "It could be. They do like to send the Heartless out to do their dirty work," he answered. He stopped at the hospital doors, his eyes narrowing. "I doubt that the Keyblade Bearers are that much of a threat to cause them to come out here."

Alec started to say something, but he was quickly interrupted by the sounds of people screaming. He and Leopold burst through the doors to see people running across the parking lot, being chased by several Soldiers.

Leopold leapt into action, slashing his Keyblade against the Soldier's chest. The action sent it flying into the air, but only for a few seconds as it quickly righted itself in mid-air. With several more swings, he destroyed it, its body disintegrating into black and purple smoke. The other Soldiers attempted to escape, but Leopold simply raised his Keyblade into the air.

_"Thunder," _he boomed. There was a loud thunderclap, and three thin lightning bolts crashed onto the three Soldiers. Their bodies burst into clouds of smoke.

There were more whooshes as more Heartless appeared. Leopold sighed as he saw that these were Neoshadows.

He turned to Alec, and Alec simply nodded in response. He rushed headlong into the group, his Keyblade glowing with power. Leopold joined him not long afterwards, catching one of the Neoshadows in a series of brutal blows before he even reached the circle. In the middle of the group, Alec's Keyblade danced. In a matter of minutes, another one of the Neoshadows was destroyed. The four hissed as they split up, disappearing into portals in the ground.

"These Neoshadows are stronger than the last time," Alec noted.

"Then if that's the case, we'd better be careful," Leopold replied. His eyes narrowed as nine portals formed around them in a tightly closed circle. The four Neoshadows leaped up at them. "Get ready!"

The two men jumped out of the circle just as the Heartless dove towards them with their claws. As soon as Alec and Leopold rolled out of danger, the Neoshadows turned around to face them, and lunged, their claws outstretched. Alec swung his Keyblade in a broad arc that sent one sprawling across the parking lot.

As he ran to finish that one off, one of the Neoshadows lunged forwards, its claw aimed for Leopold's chest. He quickly raised the flat of his Keyblade to deflect the blow, which rattled him to his bones. As he had taught Huck in practice, he kicked the Neoshadow back, which caused it to stumble slightly. He moved quickly, catching it in a series of swift, crushing strikes. It was gone in three hits, which caused the other Neoshadow to move forwards to attack. Leopold continued with his earlier strategy, destroying that one as well. The only remaining Neoshadow ran away from him, racing for the center of the parking lot. Raising its hand in the air, six portals surrounded it, and six more Neoshadows leaped out of them, surrounding the first in two groups of three.

Alec groaned, hefting his Keyblade over his shoulder. "I hope Reginald is having a better time than we are," he said.

"What we should think about now, Alec," Leopold said simply, "is keeping the Heartless from getting into the hospital before they attack any more innocent people."

"You're right as always, Leopold," Alec muttered.

* * *

"How do you think Leopold and the others are holdin' up?" Huck asked.

"I think they should be able to hold themselves up pretty well," Yogi replied. "They're pretty powerful."

"I just hope there's not a lot of Heartless crawling around the hospital," Boo-Boo said, shivering. "Those things give me the willies."

Snagglepuss was about to add something to that when the doors were blown off of their hinges with a loud crunch. Everyone ducked as the doors sailed over their table. A lion wearing a tattered purple vest wasn't so lucky, however, and the doors slammed into him with a crash. He flew over the lunch table and hit the floor.

A red spotted hyena ran over to him, his expression full of worry. "Lippy! Say something! You've got to get up!" he cried. "Oh, I _knew _something bad was gonna happen today! Oh, dear, oh, my…"

Snagglepuss ran over to the scene, and gasped when he saw Lippy's bloodstained muzzle. "He needs immediate medical attention!" he cried.

"Someone's got to get these people out of here!" Boo-Boo said.

"And we'd better stay alert, before someone else gets hurt!" Yogi pointed at the entrance, where over twenty Soldiers raced into the room. "We've gotta fight now!"

Snagglepuss, Yogi and Huck all raised their hands into the air. In a flash of light, their Keyblades materialized into their hands. All three got into battle positions as the Heartless started to surround them.

"Boo-Boo, you get the rest of the people out of here!" Snagglepuss said. "We'll handle this!"

One of the Heartless charged for him then, and Snag easily sidestepped the creature's claw dive. With three sweeping hits, he destroyed it. Yogi and Huck also got to work on dispatching the Soldiers. Keening screeches filled the air as their Keyblades easily sliced through the Soldiers, some of which were attempting to gang up on more bystanders.

Boo-Boo was ushering people towards the other exit. "Follow me, everyone!" he said, trying to avoid being trampled by the multitude of people.

Snagglepuss sent a Soldier into the wall with a broad swing, making it disappear. "That should take of the first wave," he said.

"Good work, Snag," Huck complimented. "Now we've gotta make sure there ain't anymore of them things."

"Yogi, LOOK OUT!" Boo-Boo yelled, pointing at something behind Yogi.

Yogi turned around to see a ball of ice fly at him. He leaped onto the table as the ice shot slammed into a chair. It froze on contact.

"What are those things?" Boo-Boo asked.

"I think Leopold said they were called Blue Rhapsodies," Huck recalled, "or something to that effect."

"Either way, we've got those and the Red Nocturnes to deal with!" Yogi said. The Blue Rhapsodies' red variants filtered into the room, fireballs forming on their heads. "Huck, Snag, you two take out the three on your sides. I'll head for the middle!"

"Got it, Yogi!" Snag and Huck were off to face their sections of the Heartless, which were starting to shoot their attacks. They dodged the attacks and knocked them out of the air with an uppercut swing. As they spun to the ground, Huck and Snag pressed their attack, sending their Keyblades crashing across their chests. In a matter of seconds, they were destroyed.

All of a sudden, a great chill came over the room. Then, Huck heard Yogi yell, _"Blizzard!" _He turned around to see a large ice shard launch from Yogi's Keyblade and head towards a Red Nocturne, which was the only one left of the group that was attacking Yogi previously. The Red Nocturne was knocked back from the attack, its body slowly freezing. Yogi then swung his Keyblade at the frozen Heartless, which destroyed it and the ice shell that had surrounded it.

"Alec wasn't lying when he said that you were trying out a few spells," Huck said. "That was some nice work, Yogi."

"Thanks, Huck," he said. "Come on. We'd better see if the Inner Circle needs some help."

"But they told us to stay in the cafeteria," Snag answered.

"Is there anything else to do?" Yogi replied. "Even the Inner Circle can't fight off against a whole army of Heartless."

"He's got a point there, Snag," Huck noted.

"Looks like we'll be disobeying orders after all," Snag said. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

* * *

Leopold swung, the flat of the Keyblade smacking the Neoshadow in the face. As the creature teetered backwards, he swung towards the creature's midsection, causing it to jerk backwards with every hit. He swung downwards, sending the Neoshadow flying backwards. It hit the sidewalk on its back, and it burst into smoke upon impact.

"That's the last one," Leopold said. "Alec, did you scan the area for any more Heartless?"

"So far, I haven't found anything," Alec muttered. "This area seems to be clear."

"Let's go back inside the hospital. I need to make sure Yogi and the others are alright," Leopold replied. "If the Heartless got to them…"

"They didn't get to us at all," someone called. "Rather, _we _got them!"

Alec swung around to face Huck, Snagglepuss and Yogi, who were standing there with their Keyblades in their hands. "Wha-I thought we told you to stay in the hospital!" he stammered.

"Well, we did, but that was when some Heartless attacked us in the cafeteria," Huck answered. "One of the people there got hurt real bad, though."

"What's happened to the rest of the occupants?" Leopold asked.

"Boo-Boo evacuated everyone from the cafeteria," Yogi said. "And we took care of the Heartless in there. The hallways were crawling with them, though."

"That's true…" Alec's eyes widened with shock. "Wait a minute. Reginald hasn't come back from his patrol!"

"We'd better go back in there and look for him! He could be hurt!" Yogi cried.

Alec turned to Leopold, but the leader of the Inner Circle looked unconcerned. "I don't think you should have worried, Alec," he said. "Look over there."

Everyone turned to see a blue beam of light burst out of the ceiling, a Heartless caught in its throes. Its screech could have been heard from a mile away as it was disintegrated.

Yogi, Huck and Snagglepuss looked utterly shocked, but Alec's features turned into a dry smirk. "Leave it to Reginald to use more power than necessary to defeat an opponent."

"Shuckins…won't the staff of the hospital be pretty mad at him for blowing up part of the roof?" Huck asked.

"Hopefully, they'll understand the circumstances," Leopold said. "Come along, everyone. We need to tell Boo-Boo that the coast is clear."

With that, everyone started to head back inside.

* * *

A few hours later, everything was mostly back to normal at the hospital. Thankfully, no more tragedies took place that night thanks to efforts of Huck and his friends, as well as the Inner Circle. There was only one injury however, and that belonged to Lippy the Lion, who'd had to have stitches after the door from the cafeteria had slammed into his face. His friend, Hardy Har Har, had thanked the group personally after they had made sure he was alright.

When they made their way back to Yogi's room, Boo-Boo blurted out, "I don't understand it! Who would go out and send the Heartless to kill you guys?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Yogi replied.

"I reckon it might be somebody who doesn't want us to hold these here Keyblades," Huck said.

"That, or somebody wants us out of the way," Snagglepuss said finally.

"I find myself in agreement with Snagglepuss," Alec said. "If you ask me, it may have something to do with the Organization."

"The Organization?" Yogi asked, confused.

Leopold, who was looking out the window, turned towards Yogi. "Organization XIII. They are our sworn enemies, as they seek to conquer the worlds and steal people's hearts in order to create the greatest power ever known to man," he said, bitterness in his tone.

"What power is that?" Snagglepuss asked.

"Kingdom Hearts," Leopold answered finally. "It's the source of ultimate power and wisdom, and many people have died trying to obtain it. The Organization seeks to gather hearts to form Kingdom Hearts, and they'll go to every world to obtain them."

"Is…is that why my friends were taken by those Heartless?" Huck gasped. "To have their hearts stolen?"

Leopold sighed, hanging his head. "I'm afraid so."

"Out of all the worlds they had to choose," Yogi growled, "why did they have to choose ours?"

"That I can't say for sure," Leopold replied. "But I do know that with many of the residents acquiring Keyblades, the Organization won't get far into their plans."

"Still, the Heartless that we fought against were stronger than the ones the Organization uses," Reginald piped up from his position on the floor. He looked up at Leopold. "I don't think they were the ones who sent them."

"You know the Heartless fight for whoever is stronger in the powers of darkness," Alec replied. "Someone else is sending them after Huckleberry, Yogi and Snagglepuss."

"I'd like to know who that is!" Snag said. "They won't get away with messing with us."

"It couldn't be…" Leopold muttered to himself. His eyes had widened in surprise.

"It couldn't be who?" Huck asked.

"Ah, it's nothing," Leopold replied hurriedly. "I was thinking of someone I had known once."

"You can't mean Cornelius!" Reginald said. "We killed him after he betrayed us!"

"That's what I was thinking," Leopold answered. "It would be impossible for Cornelius to do this."

"Who's Cornelius?" Yogi asked.

Leopold averted his gaze, and Alec turned towards Yogi. "It would be wise if you didn't ask that question again, Yogi Bear," he said. There was authority in his voice.

"Oh. Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it too much, Yogi," Leopold said. "We should all prepare for bed. Tomorrow, we'll be starting our first rounds of magic practice."

* * *

**_It feels so good to be working on this story again! I liked writing the Inner Circle in this chapter: it shows that there's a little more to them than just "uber-powerful Keyblade Wielders". Leopold in particular is becoming my favorite of the bunch. I'll probably write up their character profiles when I update my profile later today._**

**_So, we have our mysterious villain sending his Heartless to attack our heroes. The Inner Circle is definitely concerned, since they're running out of possible assailants who would do such a thing. I did reference the Organization's plan a bit in here, but as for the Extinguisher's, that's going to have to wait for another time. And there is some more stuff with the Inner Circle that Leopold isn't telling them; this Cornelius guy, for example. He'll be appearing farther down the road._**

**_Next chapter will have the gang practice on their magic before they head out on their quest. Top Cat will be appearing next chapter as well, and I think this will be the one where he and Huck get off on the wrong foot…_**

**_Reviews are great, but constructive criticism is even better! Oh, and if anybody wants to be my beta reader, please let me know in a PM!_**

**_God bless, iheartgod175_**


	6. Chapter 6: Tide of Chaos

**A/N: **Wow, it's been a while since I've come back to this. I was actually going to have this out a lot earlier, but real life kicked in, so I didn't get it done.

Anyways, this is a chapter that I've been waiting to get to for a long time, mostly because of all the chaos that was going to happen as a result. But last month, I had a new brainstorm that changes the whole dynamic between the Keyblade Wielders here: rather than all of them having miniature rivalries with each other, how about having their friendships put to the test when their goals/the fates of their worlds are at stake? That, I think, sounds a lot more interesting than having all of them barely managing to work together.

Oh, and I've been reading BHS' crossover _Shattered Skies_ a lot recently. Three words: Best. Crossover. Ever! There's a major shout out to it in the beginning of this chapter.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **As I said before, I own nothing but my original characters and a few Keyblades. Also, the Keyblades that Huck, Yogi and T.C. use belong to CooperGal24; I have her permission to use them.

* * *

_***~**_**CHAPTER 6~***

**Tide of Chaos**

**Unknown place**

Ranger Smith opened his eyes, and for a split second he thought he'd gone blind. He was staring up into a purple and black vortex, and lightning raced across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Slowly sitting up, he looked around. There was nothing but pitch blackness. There wasn't even another soul in sight.

"What the heck is going on?" he remarked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Ranger Smith felt every hair on the back of his neck rise at that voice. He turned around jerkily to face a tall, broad-shouldered man with a black and red cloak. On his back was a strangely shaped sword. His face was mostly obscured from view due to his hood, but Ranger Smith could see a bit of a grey beard peek out from underneath.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I go by one name: the Extinguisher," the man said. "You'd do well to remember that in the future."

"How about telling me what's going on here?" Smith demanded.

The Extinguisher laughed cruelly, a sound that sent every part of Smith's body crawling with gooseflesh. "Simply put, Mr. Smith," he said, "the worlds that you all live in may provide us with enough hearts to bring about Kingdom Hearts."

"K-Kingdom Hearts? What are you talking about?!" Ranger Smith demanded.

The Extinguisher laughed again. "Trust me, you'll see soon enough," he said. "But first, I must gather more inhabitants from your worlds...and their hearts."

Ranger Smith was left trembling in fear as the Extinguisher left, cackling again. "Oh, no...what if my message didn't get through to Yogi? He could end up here, and then..." He buried his head in his hands, trying to stop the tears that were forming in his eyes. "And then...there'll be no one left to save us..."

* * *

**Ozark Mountain Country, Missouri**_  
_

Wherever Mushmouse ran, he would certainly be accompanied by several of Punkin' Puss' bullets. On some days, he was lucky that the cat missed his marks, as some of them came very close to finishing him off.

Today was not one of those days. The shots were coming too close for comfort, and one of them actually took his hat off of his head. With his mousehole in sight, Mushmouse increased his pace, jumping to avoid the bullets that came speeding at him on the ground.

Punkin' Puss whooped as he prepared to take aim again. "This time, you is finished, Mushmouse!" he said, and fired. This time, the shot sent Mushmouse flying into his mousehole with such force that the house shook from his collision with the wall.

Smirking proudly, Punkin' turned and walked to his bedroom. "Well, that oughta be the last time I see that sneaky varmint. All this feudin' has left me feelin' a might tired. I'll take a nap before startin' up the feud again," he said, putting his rifle on the floor where he could reach it, just in case Mushmouse decided to appear again. He giggled as he settled into bed. Mushmouse just couldn't accept defeat, no matter what he tried.

No sooner had he closed his eyes did he feel the temperature of the room go down dramatically. He shivered, and wrapped himself up in his covers, trying to block out the cold. But the cold penetrated his covers and seeped deep into his fur, chilling him to the bone.

"T-T-This cold is a might p-p-peculiar," he said. "It ain't even winter, and it ain't snowin', neither! I-I shouldn't be gettin' a flu or nothin'..."

His ears perked up at the sound of footsteps approaching his bed, and he frowned in annoyance. "Mushmouse, is that you again?" He rolled over to face his foe. "I swears, you never learn to give u-"

The rest of his sentence was caught in his throat as he looked up at the man who stood before him. He was dressed in a black and red hooded robe, and the robe's material showed just a little bit of his build. The only part that was visible was the stubble of his grey beard.

For a long moment, neither man nor cat said anything. Then, the man chuckled. "Hmph. Interesting that that darkest hearts tend to be in the undesirables."

Punkin' Puss glared at the man in front of him and in a swift motion, swept his rifle up with his foot, caught it and leveled it at the man. "Who do you think you is, callin' me that?" he snarled.

"I am the Extinguisher," he said. "And I am only speaking the truth, Punkin' Puss. With the amount of darkness that you carry in your heart, it's not hard to see why everyone fights you."

Punkin's right hand was trembling from anger. "L-Listen here, buster. I'm gettin' right tired of you insultin' me. Say one more word, and I'm gonna blow you to smithereens!"

A high-pitched squeaky laugh filled his ears moments later, which only served to add to his frustration. He turned to glare at Mushmouse, who was smirking gleefully. "Shucks, you're right about Punkin' Puss on all counts, Extinguisher," he laughed.

"Keep it up, and I'm gonna turn this gun on you, ya pesky varmint!"

Mushmouse giggled again. "I don' think that's a good idea, Punkin' Puss!"

"Indeed it isn't. Especially since your weapon is no match against my Keyblade."

Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse stared at him in confusion. "What's a Keyblade?" both of them asked.

The Extinguisher's mouth curled into a cold smile. "This," he said, removing a black and red sword from his back. Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse stared at the sword in horror and awe, focusing on the curved shape of the blade and the spikes that surrounded its tip;. "My Keyblade can slice through your hides like butter."

Mushmouse gulped and he started to back away slowly. "I-I think you chose the wrong person to fight, Punkin' Puss!"

"_You_ is gonna fight him now! I'm runnin' for it!" Punkin' Puss shouted. He streaked towards the door like a comet, his body becoming an orange blur as he crashed through the door. Mushmouse watched him disappear into the distance through the massive hole he left in it.

"Dirty coward." The Extinguisher all but spat the last word. "He should've come with me peacefully. Now he will regret it." He then snapped his fingers, and a black and purple vortex appeared on the floor. Mushmouse's scream of terror made his smile grow even more. He turned slightly to see the two Heartless standing there. "I want you two to hunt him down. And if there are any others here, have the Soldiers capture them."

The two creatures nodded, and then sunk into the vortex again. Mushmouse backed away when the Extinguisher turned to fully face him. On any day of the week, he'd be happy to have someone get rid of Punkin' Puss if it meant that he wouldn't have to fight for his life every day. He had been ready to root for the Extinguisher to finish the cat off once and for all when he saw how terrified Punkin' Puss had looked.

But now with that dangerous smile turned towards him, he was glad that he hadn't rooted for the Extinguisher. This man was terrifying him more than Punkin' Puss, and that was really saying something. Mushmouse backed up until he was pressed against the wall, and the Extinguisher was close enough where he could just crush him with his boot.

"U-Uh...you're not goin' after Punkin' Puss yourself?" he asked.

"Oh, don't worry. He's still a prime target," the Extinguisher said. "He'll be needed for my plans. But you..." He looked down at Mushmouse, and his smile became even more dangerous. "Yes...now I can see what Xenahort meant about the mice in these worlds."

"W-What?"

"You mice are all innocent, liking to be left alone, until someone like say, a cat, comes along and provokes you. At that point, you take them on using wits and guile. Of course, there are many times that you start the feud, but you justify your actions either by saying it's a little 'harmless fun' or by getting revenge," the Extinguisher said. "You're all conniving, sneaky tricksters, with a bit of a fighting spirit in you."

"H-Heh, I guess you've got me figured out, huh?" Mushmouse replied, slowly sliding towards his mousehole. If he could make it inside, he could escape through the back and get out of the house-

The Extinguisher's Keyblade cut off his escape, the tip of the scythe-like blade a few inches from Mushmouse's fur. The mouse went ghostly pale as he looked at the blade, and went even whiter when he heard the Extinguisher's laugh.

"It's not very hard to figure you out, since there are cat-and-mouse chases like yours in other universes," he said. "And believe it or not, you're going to be used in my plan. All you have to do to be part of it is give me your heart."

_Gulp. _"M-M-My heart?" Mushmouse sputtered.

"Of course. I need it in order to accomplish my plans," he said. "Now, unless you want to be dealt with by the Heartless, you had better make the right choice."

"Sorry, Extinguisher, but I ain't havin' my heart taken by nobody!" Mushmouse said. "I is gettin' outta here!"

The Extinguisher yanked his sword out of the floor, tearing up the wood floor of the cabin. His smile was gone, replaced with a snarl. "Wrong choice," he snarled, before swinging down at Mushmouse.

Mushmouse leaped backwards to avoid the blow, and then ran around the curved blade and shot out of the door as well, leaving a baseball-sized hole in the door.

Snarling, the Extinguisher snapped his fingers again, and the cabin was flooded with Neoshadows. They looked at their master, who was barely containing his fury. He didn't look at them, but simply pointed his Keyblade at the door.

_"Find them."_

* * *

_BLAM! _

"Whoo-wee! Take that, ya varmints!" Punkin' Puss shouted as he leveled his rifle at another Heartless and fired. The black and purple creature that attempted to come at him was blown backwards by the barrage of gunfire, and were sent tumbling down the hill. "Whoo! That showed 'em! That Extinguisher feller's gonna be in for a shock when he sees this!"

Not long after he'd escaped from the Extinguisher, the sky had exploded over Ozark Mountains. The sky was now churning with dark clouds and lightning, and the fierce winds that followed was enough to rip houses off of their foundations. Punkin' had stood staring at this unnatural phenomenon when several small creatures, colored black and having beady yellow eyes, appeared out of holes that had suddenly sprouted from the ground. They'd attempted to gang up on him, their claws outstretched and ready to tear him to pieces.

Unfortunately for the Heartless, Punkin' had brought his rifle with him in his hurried escape from his cabin. For him, dealing with the Heartless was like shooting fish in a barrel; a good shot from his rifle either blew them apart or sent them falling to their doom. He could hear the sounds of the other mountain people yipping and hollering, as well as gunshots, and he knew they must be fighting the Heartless as well.

"I wonders how many of 'em are out in the forest," Punkin' said. "Better reload my rifle jus' in case more of 'em show up."

As he pulled out bullets from his pocket and started to reload his rifle, his mind wandered to the last person he could care about right then: Mushmouse. He scoffed. Why would he be worried about him, after all the trouble that little rodent caused him for years? Besides, Mushmouse had been perfectly fine with the Extinguisher making short work of him, even cheering him on. See if he cared about the Extinguisher turning to Mushmouse to steal his heart. See if he cared about Mushmouse getting wiped off the face of the earth.

But the truth was that he did care...a little. The mere thought of Mushmouse being cruelly slaughtered by that man made him feel guilty. He was smaller than the Extinguisher, and practically defenseless; no amount of tricks or guile could stop him, that much Punkin' knew. And now he had left Mushmouse to face the Extinguisher on his own while he took off like a coward. His ears flattened against his skull, and the guilt that had nibbled at him before he'd destroyed the Heartless soon consumed him.

"Aw...what have I done? I shoulda never left poor Mushmouse in there by his lonesome." He sighed. "Oh, what would I do to hear his annoyin' voice again..."

_"HEADS UP, PUNKIN' PUSS!"_

He had just stood up from reloading his rifle when he heard that. Before he could even react, Mushmouse crashed into him and knocked him back down. He shook his head to get the stars out of his eyes, and then opened them to see Mushmouse's face.

"_Mushmouse_?! What the-" He pulled the mouse off of his face and stared at him, his expression a mixture of surprise and frustration, mostly the latter. "How in the Sam Hill are _you_ still alive?!"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing, Punkin' Puss. I thought you were dead 'n gone!" Mushmouse said. "That Extinguisher feller done sent some creatures after you!"

"Yeah, and I was extinguishin' them, too," Punkin' said. "They're all down the hill, filled with holes."

Mushmouse looked over Punkin' Puss' head and his ears flattened with fear. "Uh...you might wanna take a look, Punkin' Puss."

Punkin' Puss laughed. "You must think I'm plumb stupid, Mushmouse. I ain' fallin' for that trick." Due to having his eyes closed as he said this, he missed the shadow that loomed over him and Mushmouse. "No sirree."

The hand that closed around his throat made him wish he'd listened to Mushmouse's warning. The world flipped as he and Mushmouse were lifted off the ground and sent flying through a tree, followed by tumbling down the hill. They screamed as they crashed into another tree, their heads colliding with the trunk. In the mix of the chaos, several whooshing sounds were heard. Mushmouse woke up to see the Neoshadows walking towards them, their yellow eyes boring into his soul.

"Yipe!" He ran over and shook a dazed Punkin' Puss', who was lying against the tree. "Punkin' Puss, wake up! These creatures are tryin' to kill us!"

"Ugh...in a minute, Maw..." Punkin' Puss groaned.

With the Heartless closing in on them, Mushmouse turned towards the dazed cat and balled his hand into a fist. "Sorry 'bout this, Punkin', but you're leavin' me no choice." With all the strength he had, he punched Punkin' Puss right in the face.

"YEOWCH!" Punkin' Puss shot into the air like a rocket, sending Mushmouse tumbling to the ground. When he crashed back down, he shook his head, and then turned to face Mushmouse, who was trying to get up. He snatched the mouse up and glared at him. "Mushmouse, _you little-_"

"No time for that now, Punkin' Puss! Give those things a blast of your rifle!" Mushmouse interrupted.

"What're you-" Punkin' Puss stared at the Neoshadow in horror as it raised its right hand and swung for his face. Punkin' Puss ducked on pure instinct, and there was a loud crunch as the Neoshadow's fist went through the tree they'd been leaning against. Rolling on the ground, Punkin' Puss avoided another blow from another Neoshadow, and grabbed his rifle. Dropping Mushmouse, he took aim and fired.

The force of the gunshot almost blew him backwards. The shot hit one Neoshadow and sent it crashing into another one. He then turned and started to fire at the other Neoshadows, knocking them down like bowling pins. Standing up, he smirked, "That should take care of 'em."

"I don't know 'bout that. They're bigger and tougher-lookin'!"

"Are you jus' gonna stand there and talk, Mushmouse, or are ya gonna make yerself useful?" Punkin' Puss snapped.

"I _am_ tryin' ta be useful!"

Before Punkin' Puss could retaliate, the Neoshadows all got up from the ground, the bullet holes having disappeared from their heads. They moved towards the cat-and-mouse duo like zombies in a horror film. Punkin' Puss stared in shock.

"Wha-I blew their heads clean off!" he shouted. "How're they still alive?!"

"I tried to tell ya they were tougher-lookin'!" Mushmouse said.

"Well, ya shoulda tried harder!"

"Goodness, you two are beyond stubborn." And then the Extinguisher appeared behind the two of them, silent as a ghost. He had his Keyblade drawn, and another group of Heartless surrounded him. He shook his head, tsking as he did so. "Not to mention stupid."

"Hey, we ain't stupid!" Mushmouse said. He paused, then added, "Well, I reckon Punkin' Puss is, but I know I sure ain't!"

"Hey, yer supposed to be on my side, Mushmouse!"

"Well, when he makes a point like that, Punkin', it's too hard ta not agree!"

"Why, you-!"

The Extinguisher groaned as he brandished his Keyblade. "You two are starting to annoy me," he said. Turning towards Mushmouse, he lifted his Keyblade in the air. Cat and mouse stared in horror as the blade started to gather with dark energy. "I suppose I'll start small."

He swung the Keyblade in a wide arc, and a crescent shaped blade surged towards Mushmouse, searing the grass. Mushmouse could only stare in horror at the arc of light; he couldn't bring himself to move, or even scream...

Suddenly, Punkin' Puss leaped in the way of the beam, arms outstretched to receive the full force of the blade. There was a hollow explosion as the blade crashed into him, sending him flying backwards and pushing Mushmouse back. The Extinguisher cursed as he watched Punkin' Puss crash to the ground, leaving a hole the size of a boulder in it.

Mushmouse turned around to face the smoking hole, his jaw dropped open in shock. His rival, who had shot at him many times, who had been more than happy to let him get hurt by others, who had abandoned him to the Extinguisher, had actually stepped in to take a blow meant for him. Part of him was grateful for the cat's action, and part of him made him wonder if Punkin' Puss was partially insane. Either way, an attack like that had finished him instantly, that much he knew. Sighing, Mushmouse took off his hat in sorrow-

_"Ghhh..." _

Mushmouse gasped when he heard that, and he raised his head to see an impossible sight. A singed orange paw rose from the crater, and soon, Punkin' Puss' face peered over the edge of the crater, eyes screwed shut and grimacing. With another grunt, he pushed himself out of the hole, gasping and coughing weakly. He hadn't escaped unscathed; his fur was dark to the point where it was almost black, some blood leaked from his forehead to his muzzle, and his clothes were little more than scraps that were barely hanging on to him. But when he opened his eyes and looked at the Extinguisher, Mushmouse had to step back. The cat was angry, angrier than he'd ever seen him before. He reached for his rifle, which was curled and twisted beyond recognition. Mushmouse didn't know how Punkin' would even fight with that, but the cat _was_ smarter than he appeared, so he figured he'd have to see for himself how he'd get it to work.

"P-Punkin' Puss...you saved my life," Mushmouse breathed, still not believing what he had just seen.

Punkin' coughed, and then he looked at Mushmouse. "Well, I wasn't about ta let that Extinguisher feller exterminate ya. After all, that's _my _job, Mushmouse." He then rose to his full height and leveled the rifle at the Extinguisher. "And I'll make sure he knows it, too!"

Mushmouse sighed, feeling both touched and annoyed. He should've figured that Punkin' Puss would say that...in fact, he would've been a little worried if he _didn't _say that. "Well, don' take him all for yourself, Punkin'! I aims to get a piece o' him, too!" he said, shifting into a fighting stance. "If we're gonna fight him, we're takin' him on together!"

The Extinguisher shook his head, amused, as Punkin' Puss and then Mushmouse charged at him. He spun and avoided Punkin's rifle with the grace of a ballet dancer, his body moving like water. Mushmouse jumped on his face and began beating on it with his fists, but the blows were nothing more than light taps for him. Casually, he picked up Mushmouse by his tail and tossed him towards Punkin' Puss, who at that moment was about to shoot him in the face. The two of them fell to the the ground just as Punkin' fired, the shot blowing apart the barrel of his rifle.

"Mushmouse, ya ruined my shot!" Punkin' Puss growled, pulling Mushmouse off of him. "Now I has got to reload if I'm gonna get another shot at 'im!"

Mushmouse took a look at the destroyed barrel and then gave Punkin' an incredulous look. "And how are ya gonna do that?"

"Trust me," the Extinguisher said, "he won't." He snapped his fingers.

Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse had no time to move as nine black and purple portals surrounded them in a tightly closed circle and Neoshadows spilled out of them. Two of them had Punkin' up in the air before he could even grab his rifle, which one of the Neoshadows destroyed by crushing it with its foot. Mushmouse attempted to run under them, but he was quickly snatched up by another Neoshadow. Both cat and mouse squirmed as they tried to break free.

"_Urggh_...Lemme go!" Mushmouse yelled.

"Don' y'all go around thinkin' you is goin' ta get away with this!" Punkin' snarled.

The Extinguisher smiled coldly as he walked towards them. "Oh, but I already have."

His sword arm had been resting at his side when he'd said that. A split second later, the Keyblade had found its way inside Punkin's chest, a red light spilling through it. A horrible yowl of agony escaped Punkin's throat, and Mushmouse flinched in terror, his blood turning to to ice. Very few things in the world could make Punkin' Puss scream like that. The Extinguisher turned the blade like a key, and then he yanked it out viciously, bringing out Punkin's heart, which was mostly black. Only bits of redness still showed through. Punkin' Puss fell limp in the Neoshadows' arms, the only sound escaping his lips being a groan. He had gone ghastly pale, as though the life had been sucked out of him.

"Ah, just as I thought. His Heart has almost been fully corrupted by darkness." Punkin's heart disappeared in a flash of gold light, and then the Extinguisher turned towards his next captive. "Now, for you."

Mushmouse, for one of the few times in his life, was actually speechless. He stared at the Extinguisher as he leveled the Keyblade at him, ghostly pale and his pupils the size of pinpricks. His mind only ran on one thing: he was going to die just like Punkin' Puss had. The Extinguisher's cruel execution of Punkin' Puss replayed over and over in his mind, and it only filled him with more terror. The ornery cat _was_ a major headache, and there were many times where he wished someone would give him his due. But he'd never wish death on him...and certainly not a death as gruesome as that.

"H-How..." The voice that crawled out of his throat hardly sounded like his own. "How could ya do somethin' so horrible? H-He didn't do anythin' to ya, and you jus'-"

"I'm surprised that you care that much for him, considering your history," the Extinguisher interrupted. "But to be honest, the only reason I can do it is because I don't have a _conscience_, like so many of you do. I don't care about anyone, or anything, in these pathetic worlds of yours. After all the headaches you two have caused me today, I could erase you." He paused, and then a sick smile came across his face. "But don't you worry. You'll be reunited with your rival soon enough."

Before Mushmouse could protest, the curved blade of the Extinguisher's Keyblade sank into his chest with impossible ease. For a few seconds there was searing pain as he felt his own Heart being torn loose from him, and then cold numbness took over his body as the Extinguisher yanked the Keyblade out of his chest. He laughed as he held Mushmouse's Heart in his hand, which glowed like a beacon in the darkness.

That was the last thing that Mushmouse heard and saw before everything went black.

* * *

**Jellystone Regional Hospital**

Leopold burst out of sleep, his body entangled in the covers and skin slick with sweat. He jumped out of bed, and ran over to the window, throwing it open with such force that it clanged against the wall. His eyes scanned the starry sky, his heart pounding with anticipation and his hands gripping the windowsill tightly. _Oh, please tell me that that wasn't a vision of a world being taken...Please let it not be true!_

It was then that he saw it, and his veins froze. In the upper corner of the sky, a star flickered like a dying lightbulb, and then went out.

To any stargazer, it was certainly an unnatural occurrence. But for a Keyblade user like himself...he knew exactly what that meant.

He sat back down on his bed, shuddering. "Brutal...s-so brutal..." He balled his hand into a fist, remembering the sight of Punkin' Puss' face twisting with agony, followed by Mushmouse's, as their Hearts were stolen from them. Part of him was glad that he and the rest of the Inner Circle had found Huckleberry Hound and his friends before that Extinguisher had. If two of the Chosen were to have their Hearts stolen, it wouldn't matter if the rest of the worlds' inhabitants acquired Keyblades. They would be easy pickings for the Heartless.

But his gladness was quickly replaced by guilt. He had to focus on these seven, if and when they found them all, and ignore the other worlds in order to give them the proper training to face the darkness covering their worlds. That meant losing worlds like Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse's to people like the Organization, and the Extinguisher.

Something about the Extinguisher also chilled him to his core. The coldness in his voice as he casually told Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse that they were going to have their Hearts taken, followed by his brutal removal of them, and his chilling laugh as he watched them fall asleep...that man didn't deserve the right to be called human. But his methods and fighting style reminded him of the one person he'd avoided discussing with Huck and Yogi. A person who used to be a dear friend of his, someone he called a brother.

Leopold shook his head. There was no way that Cornelius was the one behind this. It just wasn't possible. He had betrayed them, but they had dealt with his betrayal in the swiftest way possible. After what Alec had done to him, there was no way Cornelius could come back. That Leopold was sure of.

_If that is the case, _he mused as he went back to bed, _then why do I feel as though that's not the case?_

* * *

**Hoagy's Alley, New York**

**Simultaneously**

"What'd ya call us for, T.C.?" Benny the Ball asked, staring up at his leader with his trademark big smile.

"Yeah, like, it sounded pretty urgent," Spook added.

It was the middle of the night in Hoagy's Alley, and the only people who were still about were Top Cat and his gang. Dibble had already gone to bed for the night, which was good news for Top Cat, who knew that the cop would never leave him alone if he saw what he had in his trash can.

"I want you guys to take a look at this," Top Cat said. After looking around to make sure that nobody was watching, he reached into his trash can...and pulled out a sword.

Benny's first reaction was to scream. Choo-Choo, Fancy-Fancy and Spook all had to cover his mouth in order to keep him from waking up the whole neighborhood. Brain, as to be expected, didn't do much of anything at first, but then his reaction came about. Soon, Top Cat was out of his trash can trying to keep both Benny and Brain quiet.

"You two could wake the entire city with all that yellin'!" Top Cat hissed. "Now, I mean it. Both of ya, be quiet."

Once Benny and Brain had nodded their affirmatives, the four older cats released them. Top Cat sighed. "You guys almost gave me a heart attack for a second there," he said.

"Sorry about that, T.C. But when you pulled that sword out of the trash can, we thought you were gonna kill us!" Benny said.

"I'd never kill any of you guys," Top Cat said, "especially not with this thing."

"What kind of sword is it, T.C.?" Brain asked.

Top Cat took a good look at the strange sword that had suddenly appeared in his paw a few hours ago. "That's what I'm tryin' ta figure out," he said, turning it over to examine it.

The sword, if it could be called that, was as yellow as his own fur, with the blade curled to look like a tail. The tip was white, and surrounding it were three bells. Dangling from the chain was a purple string of yarn with a bell dangling at the end.

"Pretty cool lookin' sword, though," Spook said. "It's almost as if it were, like, made for you, Boss."

"Yeah, it's even got my colors right," Top Cat said. "But the strange thing is that I have no idea where this thing came from or what kind o' sword it is."

A chorus of "hmm's" filled the air as the other members of the Alley Gang thought about possible answers. Then Fancy-Fancy snapped his fingers. "Hey, I think I know what that sword is, T.C.!"

Top Cat brightened at this news. "Well, don't leave me in suspense, Fancy, tell me already!"

"Okay, so I was watchin' the news the other day on those crazy disasters happenin' all over the country. Apparently, there are people in different worlds that end up gettin' these swords called 'Keyblades' and fighting their way out."

"That sounds pretty bad," Choo-Choo said.

"It is bad. Already half of the country's swallowed up in this darkness, and it's makin' it's way up the East Coast," Spook said. "A couple of guys at the bar were talkin' about it."

"But there aren't any disasters happening in New York City. So why did T.C. get a Keyblade?" Benny asked.

"Who knows? It could be because of my lovable personality," Top Cat said, smirking.

"Yeah, that's definitely true, T.C.," Brain said. "So, uh, what are you gonna do with that?"

"I'm gonna have to hide it. The last thing I need is old Drizzle on my case about this Keyblade. 'sides, I don't think I'll be needin' it." Top Cat placed his new Keyblade in his trash can and spread his arms out. "Like Benny said, there's no citywide disaster happenin' in New York City. And if that darkness stays on the other side of the country, there won't be."

"Well, not yet anyway," Benny clarified.

Top Cat groaned. "Way ta ruin my inspirational speech, Benny. Now, then, you guys can get back to whatever it was you were doin'. I jus' wanted to clear this up before Dibble's shift in the morning."

The Alley Gang nodded, and all of them said their goodnights to Top Cat. As soon as they disappeared, Top Cat pulled out his Keyblade and examined it further, his features knotting into a frown.

There were more parts to this story, he knew, parts that he couldn't quite figure out yet. He too had heard of the disasters, but hadn't heard of these Keyblades before. He had to wonder who called it that, as it didn't even look like a key, for that matter. There was also the nagging feeling that he'd acquired this Keyblade for a reason, but the reason alluded him for the time being.

Top Cat groaned, and he put the Keyblade back in his trash can. Reason or not, he wasn't going to be using it any time soon.

* * *

**Jellystone Regional Hospital**

**The Next Morning**

"Heavens to Murgatroyd, Leopold! You look exhausted!" Snagglepuss exclaimed upon seeing the leader of the Inner Circle lumber into the cafeteria that morning. Indeed, he did look tired, with bags set under his eyes and said eyes being slightly red.

Leopold's response was to sigh unhappily as he sat in his chair. "I've had better nights," he said. "I couldn't sleep very well last night."

"Nightmare?" Huck asked, munching on a ham and cheese biscuit.

"Well, not quite," Leopold said, rubbing his temples. He'd figured that he would have to tell them sooner or later, but he'd wanted to come up with a good opening line first. But with everyone looking at him, he knew he shouldn't beat around the bush. "I had a vision last night."

"A vision?" Huck repeated.

"Oh, like a vision of the future?" Yogi asked. "Not to make a fuss, but what does it hold for us?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly a vision of the future. It was a vision of another part of your world being taken," Leopold answered.

Reginald snapped up to look at his leader. "Another part of the world, taken?" he repeated.

"Yes. This time, in the hills," Leopold said. He looked at Huck and the others. "Last night, the world of the mountain people was swallowed by darkness. Nobody escaped that place."

Snagglepuss gasped in shock, while Huck dropped his biscuit. "Shuckins, that's right awful!" he said.

"I watched the Extinguisher take the hearts out of two residents, a Punkin' Puss and a Mushmouse," Leopold said. "They attempted to fight back, but they were no match." He shook his head gravelly. "The Extinguisher was brutal in how he removed their Hearts. He coldly taunted them, and then just ripped them out."

"He _ripped _their hearts out?" Snagglepuss answered, horrified.

"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick," Boo-Boo said, pushing away his breakfast.

"I'm sorry to have to discuss this over breakfast," Leopold answered, "but...I couldn't keep something like this to myself. I wanted you all to know that this evil is spreading, and that it's not going to stop unless we find all of the members of the Seven and then you have to purge the world of evil."

"But how can we do that when we don't know who the other five are?" Boo-Boo asked.

"Yeah! We'll be traveling around aimlessly, in vain, even, trying to find them!" Snagglepuss answered.

"I only hope that the third of the Seven decides to make his appearance soon," Leopold said. "I can't bear to see another world stolen."

"You know we can't save them all, Leopold," Reginald said, looking over at the man with concern. "As much as we'd like to, we just can't."

"But there's gotta be a way, right?" Huck asked. He looked at Leopold hopefully. "I mean, a little hope never hurt anybody, right?"

Leopold looked at Huck with a small smile. "No, it never has. Sometimes, a little hope goes a long way, especially in a conflict like this."

"So, when do we set out on this journey or ours?" Snagglepuss asked.

"Soon. Probably in about three days or so," Reginald said. "As soon as we figure out who the third member of the Seven is, we'll send you to meet them." He looked around the cafeteria. "How odd..."

"What's so odd?" Leopold asked.

"Alec's not here yet," Reginald said. He then snickered. "Normally, he's here and stuffing his face with food."

"He could be sleepin' in," Yogi said. "With what happened last night, he'll be out like a light!"

"Possibly," Reginald said.

The doors soon burst open, and Alec rushed in, his dirty blonde hair disheveled and his expression worried. He looked around the cafeteria hurriedly before his gaze settled on Leopold and the others, and then he rushed over to them.

"How funny, we were just talking about you," Reginald said.

Alec stopped a few feet away from the table, and it was then that he saw how pale the other man looked. His teasing smirk disappeared. "Good heavens, man, what's the matter?" he asked.

"The third member of the group," he said, "has received his Keyblade."

"Already?" Yogi asked.

"Shucks, that's fast," Huck said.

"Who is it?" Leopold asked.

Alec took a moment to regain his composure, and then looked at Huck and Yogi. "Do you two know anybody named Top Cat?"

"Do we? O' course! We go way back," Huck said.

Yogi nodded. "He's come with us on some of our adventures," he added, "and we visit in New York when we get the chance."

"Heavens to Murgatroyd! I haven't seen him in months, a year, even!" Snagglepuss said. "I was too busy with my theater troupe."

"We'll have plenty of time to catch up on old happenin's when we see T.C. in New York," Huck told his friend.

Leopold sighed. "You do realize that this won't be a time to socialize, right?" he said. "As soon as you get there, it's very important that you tell him of our mission, if he doesn't know it already."

"With T.C., it's hard to tell," Huck said. "He's pretty darn smart, but sometimes he lets others do the work for 'im." He then sported a sheepish grin. "Uh...don' tell him I said that, okay, Leopold?"

Leopold chuckled. "My lips are sealed."

"Well, fellas, it seems we're going to head to New York City in a few days!" Yogi said.

"Can't they just leave now?" Alec asked.

"Without magic training, they'll be helpless against the Heartless," Leopold answered. "If they are going to travel these worlds, it helps to have magic and swordplay on their side."

Alec sighed. "You do have a good point..."

"Well, what are we waitin' for? We need to go ahead and get started!" Huck said.

"I agree!" Snagglepuss said. He then turned towards Leopold. "Chop chop, men! We've got training to do!"

Reginald groaned, Alec silently face palmed and Leopold offered that same, calm smile. "I suppose breakfast can wait. Meet me out in the garden in a few minutes."

* * *

**New York City**

**Manhattan**

"Hmph. No wonder they call this place 'The City that Never Sleeps'," the Extinguisher said, looking down at the crowded streets of Manhattan, which were teeming with people and cars. "And it is here in this city that the next member of the Seven is located."

He sighed as he looked at the Manhattan skyline from his perch on top of the many buildings. Trying to search all of New York for Top Cat was going to be difficult, since the city was so big. He simply didn't have the time to look around the entire city in one day; he had other candidates that he had to go after in other parts of the country after he was finished taking over the East Coast.

He smirked to himself. So far, this world had been pretty easy for the taking. The Hearts he'd acquired so far were pure; only a scant few were dark or tainted. He didn't know how many more worlds there were, but he hoped that there were a lot, ones that hopefully had people who could give him a challenge, unlike Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse had.

Beside him, a few dozen Heartless waited. He looked on either side of him, and then turned back to face the city. "The third one lives somewhere down here. Find him, and then find out who all is close to him." A cold smile graced his lips. "I have a special surprise waiting for them."

The Heartless disappeared into the ground, and the Extinguisher smirked before disappearing himself. It was going to be a good day...for him at least.

* * *

**_For those of you who didn't get the shout-out, it's a reference to BHS' Precure chapters from "Shattered Skies". Seriously, go read that fic right now. It's amazingly good and will keep you in suspense. Plus, he'd really appreciate a lot more feedback and reviews on his work, so, here's a little shout-out corner to you, BHS!_**

**_So yeah, you can definitely see why I named this chapter "Tide of Chaos". Six chapters in, and the gang's about to go and finally meet up with their old pal, T.C. Only thing is, Top Cat's not terribly convinced that there's a disaster heading for New York City, or that he's got his Keyblade because of his status as a hero. Either way, he's going to have a rude awakening come chapters 7 and 8, in no part thanks to the Extinguisher. I WAS going to have Huck and the gang meet up with T.C. and his gang in this chapter, but I decided to not bog the chapter down with more filler. _**

**_Another set of characters get a cameo: the little known duo of Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse, who I nickname "the hillbilly Tom and Jerry". I heard of them, but I barely knew who they were; now I'm a lot more familiar with them since I'm watching the Classics Collection, and they are absolutely hilarious. Their cameo was to basically show what is actually happening to the Hanna-Barbera world, and the inhabitants that live there...and if this chapter is of any indication, it's not pretty. Punkin' and Mushmouse may appear again, probably as agents of the Extinguisher. And speaking of the Extinguisher, his identity will soon be revealed in the coming chapters. And since I had such a blast writing the scenes with Punkin' and Mushmouse (with purposeful grammar errors, due to their accents), I'm thinking of doing the same for some other Hanna-Barbera characters. I have something special planned for Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long, as it's been bothering me for the last few days and I've been itching to write it down. _**

**_I liked writing Leopold a lot in this chapter. He's clearly the leader who's got a lot of personal burdens on him, what with trying to save multiple worlds and failing, as well as make sure that all the heroes meet up and complete their mission safely. Chapter 8 will definitely be his turn to shine, as well as the Extinguisher's._**

**_The next thing on my list is chapter 5 of "Fiery Heart, Broken Soul", which is halfway complete. After that, it's off to either "Mirror, Mirror" or "The Return of the Phantom Empire". _**

**_Constructive criticism and feedback is appreciated, as always! See you around next chapter, where things get even MORE chaotic. _**

**_God bless, iheartgod175_**


	7. Chapter 7: Crossing Paths

**A/N: **Hey guys! Here is chapter 7 of _The Heroes of Time! _I told you I'd update stories other than _Blazin' Trails_ :D

As I promised, this chapter's got more action and more world-destroying chaos as more H-B worlds are turned upside down; plus, we've got Huck and the others meeting T.C. right as it's all about to go down...

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything other than my original characters and a few Keyblades. CooperGal24 created the Keyblades that Huck, Yogi and T.C. use, and I have her permission to use them.

* * *

***~CHAPTER 7~***

**Crossing Paths**

**Scandinavia**

"Peter, if you don't hurry up and get in the balloon-"

"I'm a little busy _fighting for my life_, So-So! I'll head back to the balloon in a minute!"

From the cabin of Peter's magic balloon, So-So the Monkey groaned disdainfully as he watched Peter Potamus fight a horde of Heartless. The few that attempted to attack him were thrown backwards, followed by being swiftly dispatched by the strange sword in his hand: a sword with a blade that was decorated to look like the Earth, and a compass rose forming the tip. Peter was swinging the sword like a club, and though So-So wanted to tell him that his swordplay needed a little work, he wasn't going to complain if the hippopotamus' strategy was keeping the strange creatures away from the balloon.

He and Peter had stopped in Scandinavia for a good rest after four days of wandering aimlessly around the European skies. They had heard that countries were being swallowed by darkness, people being attacked by strange creatures known as the Heartless, and others receiving strange swords and barely escaping with their lives. So-So had tried to tell Peter that they should cancel their trip to Scandinavia, but the hippo refused, and said that he could help anybody who was in trouble by getting them to his magic balloon. More than anything, So-So wanted to mention how stupid of an idea that sounded, but by then they were in the country's borders, and it was too late for him to protest.

For two whole days, nothing had happened. Then, the sky went black in the middle of the day, the Heartless appeared and in a matter of minutes, chaos reigned supreme over the little town. Peter had tried to save people, but when three Heartless had dragged one person into the ground screaming and kicking, So-So had yanked Peter back to where their balloon was parked so they could escape. He knew Peter well enough to know that he'd try anything to save him, and they hadn't had the time for that.

However, Peter wouldn't be denied a chance to help people. So when they discovered a group of Heartless surrounding an elderly couple and their grandchildren right where their balloon was, he attacked them at first with his bare hands. And when they attempted to attack them again, a bellowing Hippo Hurricane Holler sent them flying through the walls of houses and into fountains.

Another wave of Heartless had appeared, and it was then that Peter had gotten his Keyblade. Peter had ordered So-So to get the balloon ready while he focused on the Heartless. After that, they just seemed to come in from _everywhere_, and it was clear that Peter was outmatched and overwhelmed by the waves. But he still continued to fight; his stubborn resolve to help others was the only thing that kept him going.

As inspiring as that was to So-So, he knew that if Peter didn't get out of there fast, he would disappear along with the other villagers.

"Peter, stop playing hero and _get in the balloon_!" So-So screamed. His shout was distorted by the fierce winds and the lightning overhead. "We have to get out of here before we're overwhelmed!"

Peter turned around to answer his navigator. "Wha-"

Peter's response was cut off when a Neoshadow raked its claws across his back, and he yelped, his back arching in pain. He stumbled forwards briefly, but then regained his balance. He turned around to face the Neoshadow, but it simply grabbed him by his shirt and hurled him towards a horde of Soldier Heartless behind him. There was a resounding _boom _as Peter hit the ground, and the ground rumbled with the force of it, knocking down some more of the smaller Heartless. So-So saw a dust cloud rise into the air, and seconds later, all of the Heartless were rushing into it.

"PETER!" So-So scrambled down from his post, and rushed into the chaotic battle. Forget the balloon, forget the fact that he had no weapons-those creatures were about to drag his friend into the ground the same way they'd taken everyone else in this town. "Hang on, I'm coming!"

"S-So-So!" Peter cried. The monkey heard him grunt and groan from strain; some of those Heartless probably had him pinned in a way where he couldn't move. "So-So, get out of here!"

There was that defiant stubbornness again. So-So made his way inside the cloud, and through the cloud of dust, he could barely make out Peter, being held down by several Soldier Heartless. One of the Neoshadows was leaning over him, claws outstretched. Fighting to get through, he coughed out, "I'm not leaving you behi-"

A hand clamped on his tail, and before he knew what was happening, he was sailing overhead and through the air. He landed facefirst into the ground right where the balloon was, and pain exploded through his head. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"SO-SO!" Peter yelled from afar. "So-So, where are ya?!"

So-So couldn't answer; he didn't have the time to, as the Heartless grasped his aching limbs and stretched them out, making his muscles feel like they were on fire. An orange light started to cover the ground in front of him, and he felt a wave of heat on his back. He tensed in horror.

_Oh, no...they're planning to roast me alive?! _He turned around to see a red Heartless hovering behind him, a fireball resting on its yellow hat. His jaw dropped open, but for the first time in his life, he couldn't say a word, or even scream.

Over all of the chaos, he heard a sharp intake of air, followed by a bellowing holler. The next thing he knew, he and the Heartless were swept off of the ground, caught up in a bellowing gust of wind with the force of a hurricane. At the last moment, So-So grabbed the straps of the balloon and hung on for dear life as the gust continued. The remaining Heartless were sent tumbling down the hills, and the balloon tipped over, knocking So-So down along with it.

So-So sputtered and coughed out the stray dirt that had come up in his throat, groaning in pain, but relieved. _Peter...you're a _genius, he thought in surprised relief. Peter's Hippo Hurricane Holler could be effective when used the right way.

Loud, thundering footsteps filled his ears, and soon, Peter Potamus lifted up the envelope from off of him. He beamed when he saw So-So laying there.

"So-So!" he cried, and snatched the monkey up and gave him a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're alright! I thought you were a goner!"

So-So could feel some bones cracking in his body, and the pain outweighed his happiness at the moment. "Yeah...me..too..."

After a few seconds, Peter let go of his simian friend. "Sorry I took so long. Those Heartless are more troublesome than I thought," he said. "Had to use my Hippo Hurricane Holler to get rid of 'em."

"I tried to tell you to use that way earlier, Peter, but as usual, you're stubborn about these sort of things," So-So remarked.

"Now what is that supposed to mean?!"

So-So was about to explain, but that was when he saw that the Heartless were starting to gain on them, and fast. "Save the rant for later, Peter! We'd better get out of here, and I mean fast!"

Peter turned around to face the gathering forces, and his anger melted to reveal pure terror. "...yeah, I'm startin' to think you're right, So-So. Let's get out of here!"

So-So was once again dragged through the air, Peter's grip on his arm so tight that he thought he was going to break it. When they jumped inside the cabin of the balloon, Peter heaved the anchor into the cabin as carefully as he could, which was easier said than done. In a matter of seconds, the balloon was off and in the air. Below them, the Heartless screeched and jumped futilely up in the air, and some of the Red Nocturne Heartless were trying to shoot fire at him. So-So sighed as he continued to pump more hot air into the balloon. It had taken a lot of effort, but they were finally leaving this crazy ordeal behind them.

"So...where to next, Peter?" So-So asked.

"Obviously not anywhere in the Eastern World. That means it's back to the good old United States," Peter said.

So-So stared at Peter as though he were insane. "But Peter, you've heard what they've said on the news! If we head back there, we're done for!"

"Well, do ya have any _better_ ideas?" Peter turned to face So-So, his frown daring the monkey to argue further. "If we stop here, we'll get swallowed by that whole darkness. The only safe place I can think of is the United States."

"By the time we get there, Peter, it'll probably be taken over completely by now," So-So pointed out.

Peter huffed. "There are times where I wish you weren't right, So-So. But either way, we're gonna have to land somewhere. And I'd rather land on more familiar ground," he answered. "We've got enough supplies to last us three days, which is just the amount of time we need to get there."

So-So paused mid-pump to give Peter an incredulous look. "And where exactly are we going?"

"Where else, So-So? The Gate to the New World itself: New York, New York!"

So-So sighed. "Why am I the only one having a bad feeling about this?"

* * *

**Paris, France**

**Simultaneously**

Dum-Dum wasn't the brightest sheepdog in country. But even he knew that without Touché Turtle at his side, he was toast.

The Heartless were surrounding him at all angles, some larger and more deadlier than he'd ever seen or heard of. All of them stared at him with those piercing yellow eyes, sending terror flooding through his bones. His fencing foil lay uselessly at his feet, mangled beyond recognition. No matter where he looked, no matter where he turned, there was nowhere he could run for safety, and no one to turn to.

Paris was a husk of its former self, a sight that had broken Dum-Dum's heart and had sent Touché on the hunt for whoever had done it. They had soon encountered a sight that neither had ever hoped to see in their lives: a massive army of Heartless storming the streets, stealing the hearts of innocent townspeople and devouring them like candy. Before Dum-Dum could even blink, Touché had disappeared into the army, foil swinging and swearing vengeance on them. Watching Touché fight was like watching an action movie; with his expert fencing moves and surprising strength, Touché proved to be a threat to the Heartless...at least for a while.

That was when they had piled on top of him like a football team, practically flattening him. Dum-Dum had rushed into the fray then to save his old friend, trying to knock back the Heartless as Touché had, only for his foil to be snapped like a twig. With the Neoshadows gaining on him, he'd had no choice but to run, leaving Touché to be claimed by the monsters.

And now, here he was, alone and with nobody to back him up. With terror building up in his soul, he sank to the ground and curled into a ball, shuddering. "Why is this happening?" he muttered, trying to keep himself from crying.

The Heartless didn't answer him. All they did was move towards him like zombies in a horror film, hands outstretched. He felt them all pile on top of him, smothering him until he couldn't breathe...and then he knew no more as he too was swallowed by darkness...

* * *

**London, England  
**

**Simultaneously**

"This...this is impossible...I was doing my job perfectly fine, and then it all had to go _wrong_!" Yippee groaned, pausing to take a shot at an eight-ball with his cue stick. The ball hit the others in the center with a loud clack, sending them scattering in different directions across the table.

Next to him, Yahooey, who was peering over the table, sighed. "Ya know, Yippee, our days are _always_ like that: perfectly fine until something happens."

"Yeah, uh...how's this any different?" Yappee asked, head cocked to the side.

Yippee stared at them incredulously and then pointed at the window. The sky was pitch black, and screams of terror filled the air. "This is different from anythin' we've ever faced! I mean, all of those freaky Heartless are out there, stealing people's hearts and everything-"

"Hey, don't worry about it, Yippee," Yahooey replied. "The King trusts us enough to let us guard him and the Queen. We should be able to handle this."

"You really think so?" Yippee asked.

"Absolutely," Yappee said.

Yippee smiled. "Thanks, fellas. I knew I could count on you guys to calm me down," he said. "I guess I was gettin' a little too worked up."

Yappee raised one finger in the air. "I just have one question, though."

"What's that, Yappee?"

"Aren't we supposed to be guarding the King and Queen right now?"

All three dogs froze and stared at each other in horror as they realized their error. No sooner had they done that than bloodcurdling screams came from the other room.

_"HELP! SOMEONE, SAVE US!"_

"Ohnoohonoohnoohno!" In seconds, all three dogs took off running for the king's chambers, almost trampling each other to death as they charged up (and tripped up) the stairs. They'd left their posts just so they could play a quick game of pool, and now the King and Queen were in trouble. If they ever got out of this alive, they'd be chewed out and thrown right out of the guard, that was for sure.

With a ramming of his shoulders, Yippee slammed the door open and burst into the room, his fencing foil out and ready. The whole room looked like a hurricane had torn through it; personal items from the King and Queen were hurled all over the place, shattered into pieces against the wall, or ripped to shreds. But the mess was the least of his worries. "Your Majesties...?" he called out, slowly walking into the room.

Yappee gulped loudly. "I-I'm not like this, Yippee..."

"Y-Yeah, we should go back!" Yahooey answered.

"We're not going back, fellas!" Yippee said, trying to contain the shudders that were making its way down to his arms. For some reason, he was just as spooked, but he wasn't about to turn tail and run. Not now, not when the King was counting on them. "We've gotta find the King and Queen and make sure they're alright."

"Y-Y-Y-Yip-Yippee..." Yahooey stammered out. The purple furred dog turned to see the small, brown-furred one trembling, his face white as a sheet and pointing at something in front of him. "L-L-Look over t-there..."

That feeling of dread was back again. Yappee soon gasped loudly, his face taking on a similar expression as he followed Yahooey's line of sight. Willing himself to stay strong, Yippee turned around to see what they were seeing...

The King and Queen stood before them, hands raised as though ready to attack some unseen foe. But that wasn't what had terrified the other two dogs. Their eyes wider than dinner plates, were blank, staring at them for what seemed like eternities, and their faces were whiter than sheets. Their mouths had dropped open, but not a sound escaped their lips. They just remained there, frozen in time, not moving an inch, not even breathing...and then, they slumped forwards like stringless puppets, hitting the ground with a thud. Two large Neoshadows stood behind them, holding two glowing hearts in their hands, Hearts with barely any darkness in them at all.

Yappee and Yahooey screamed in horror, but Yippee couldn't bring himself to scream, to even do anything...his mind had ground to a total halt as he stared at the King and Queen's motionless bodies.

They were gone. Dead. The King and Queen were dead because of him. Because of his goofing around, the Heartless had come in, had taken advantage of their leaving their posts and had taken the King and Queen away.

At last, he _did_ scream...and his fellow teammates who heard it immediately jumped back in terror. Before anybody could stop him, Yippee was flying at the two Heartless, attacking them with barely tamed fury. His foil wasn't doing anything to vaporize them, but darn it all if they thought they could get away after attacking the King and Queen, after stealing their Hearts. One of them swung out at him, and he dodged the attack, followed by kicking the Neoshadow in the gut. There was a loud crunch as the Neoshadow collided with the wall, actually leaving a dent in it.

Yippee was about to turn and face the other Neoshadow, only for the Heartless to seize his foil and rip it from his hands. With its size and strength, it was able to crumble up his foil like paper, and then it grabbed Yippee by his shirt. He was soon sent flying through the air, pinwheeling towards his two friends, who stood there in horror. In a matter of seconds, all of them were flying down the stairs in a massive heap. They all crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ohhhh...man, that hurt..." Yappee groaned.

Upon hearing a loud _slap _hit the ground behind them, Yahooey piped up, "I think that's gonna be nothin' compared to what they're gonna do to us!"

They turned as one to face the Neoshadow, who was creeping up behind them, one of its claws raised in attack position. The three dogs held onto each other with fear, whimpering as the Neoshadow hovered over them, their claws ready to dive into their chests and rip out their Hearts...

Two words filled their ears, words that were practically whispered: _"Inferno."_

The fur on the Goofy Guards' necks rose as heat surged through the room. Orange-yellow light filled their vision as a stream of fire, about five meters wide, burst forth and enveloped the Neoshadow. A horrific screech rung through the castle as it was disintegrated, its body melting before the Guards' eyes. The fire raced up the stairs and blew a hole through the wall. Smoke filled their nostrils and covered most of the downstairs.

Yippee coughed as he sat up. Although the fire hadn't burned him or Yappee or Yahooey, the skin under his fur was roasting. He couldn't make out his friends in the billowing smoke clouds and he covered his face with the front of his shirt. "G-Guys, are ya alright?" he called.

A hacking cough came to his left. "Y-Yeah, we'll manage," Yappee said.

"Ugh...whose great idea was it to shoot that fire attack anyway?" Yahooey grumbled.

Neither of the Goofy Guards knew how to answer that, but their savior did. "It was mine," a deep voice said.

Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey gasped, and they turned around to face the speaker, who waved their arm in a slicing motion. The smoke cloud split apart, revealing their mysterious savior. He was a tall man, lean, someone muscular, and wielding an odd, key shaped sword with a red blade. Surrounding the blade were what appeared to be swirling tongues of fire. Dangling from the end of the blade was a keychain, with a small phoenix at its end. His hair. long and wavy in the back, was brown with dirty blonde streaks running along the sides of his hair. His eyes were as red as the fiery accents on his clothes.

"Who are you?" Yippee asked.

"_What _are you?" Yappee added.

"Are you a wizard?" Yahooey inquired.

The man shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm not," he said. "My name's Alec, a member of the Inner Circle. I've come to rescue you."

Yippee started to say something, but he was cut off when he heard a loud _whoosh _come from right behind them. He turned around, horrified, to see the room become flooded with Neoshadows. They started to surround the four, and the three Goofy Guards all huddled together, terrified.

"Hang on," Alec said. "I'll find a way out for us." He looked around the walls of the castle for a long, long moment, before his eyes settled on the wall near the castle gates. By sheer luck, there were less Neoshadows there. He looked at the Guards. "Whatever you do, stay close to me!"

He soon took off running for the other side of the room. The hurried footsteps and the frantic whispers told him that Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey were right behind. He knocked back a Neoshadow with a swing of his Keyblade, and then made it over to the wall. Decorating it was a picture of the King and Queen. He grabbed the frame and flung it to the other side, sending it sliding across the floor.

Yappee was aghast. "What are ya doin'? That's the royal portrait you just messed up!"

"I think there are more important things to worry about right now!" Yahooey shouted, turning to face the Neoshadows.

Alec didn't answer; he simply drew his Keyblade arm back and thrust it through the wall. Rather than crashing straight through the wall with such a move, the Keyblade phased through the wall, and a glowing keyhole appeared moments later. Using both hands, he turned the Keyblade to the left, and there was a _ka-click_, like a door being unlocked.

What happened next surprised Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey. The image of a door appeared moments later, and filled with golden light. The light that spilled from the door was so blinding, the Heartless that were close to them started to back away, covering their eyes with their arms. They screeched in pain, and black smoke started to rise from their bodies.

They were barely aware of the fact that Alec had removed his Keyblade from the wall, until Yippee felt someone tug on his shirt. Before he knew what was going on, he went flying through the air and through the door. He screamed as he fell through the gold void. It wasn't long before Yappee and then Yahooey followed his lead, tumbling through the air and at the mercy of gravity.

Alec jumped through the portal moments later, taking care to make sure the Heartless didn't follow them through the portal. When he was certain that none of them came through, he raced through the portal after Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey, who were rapidly disappearing before him. Even from where he was, he could still hear the edges of their screams.

He just hoped Leopold wouldn't get him for this.

* * *

**Jellystone Regional Hospital**

**Simultaneously**

"So, what do you think will happen in New York, Huck?" Boo-Boo asked.

"Hm?" Huck turned towards the smaller bear, taking his eyes off of the training session for a moment. "Oh, I reckon T.C. oughta join our side easy-like."

"Well, you know Top Cat," Boo-Boo said. "Sometimes, he's gotta see it for himself in order to believe it."

"There are some things 'bout 'im that I don't know," Huck said. "T.C.'s a right mystery, ya know." His eyes widened as he watched Snagglepuss start to push Yogi out of the "ring" that Leopold had set up for their training match. "Shucks, Snag's gotten real good at usin' his Keyblade, hasn't he?"

Boo-Boo laughed. "I'm surprised he's becoming a problem for Yogi," he said.

Yogi turned in their direction briefly. "I am too, Boo-Boo!" he said. He parried another strike from Snagglepuss' Keyblade. "Geez, and to think you'd be a lag in battle, Snag!"

"Well, you're no slouch yourself! I've had to pull out some tricks for this, ones I was saving up, even!"

Leaning against the wall, Reginald sighed. "Well, if anything, his and Yogi's skills have improved," he said.

"I can't wait 'til it's my turn," Huck replied.

"But you've only been on this bench for fifteen minutes," Boo-Boo pointed out. "And Leopold's challenging you after Yogi and Snagglepuss finish."

"True. And ta be honest, I'm a lil' wary of Leopold's fightin' skills up close. But I'm more than ready for it," Huck said. "'specially since we're gonna be fightin' against a lotta Heartless without their help."

There was a loud "oof!" as Snagglepuss was driven out of the ring and knocked onto his back. Yogi stood there, his Keyblade resting a few inches from Snag's chest. "Looks like I win," he said, smirking.

"So it seems," Snag said. After accepting the bear's paw, he got to his feet. "That was a very good match, by the way."

"It sure was," Yogi said. The two shared a handshake before Yogi called over to Huck. "Hey, Huck, looks like you're in luck! Leopold's going to challenge you next!"

Huck got up from his spot on the bench and turned to Boo-Boo. "Wish me luck!" he said, and he started to make his way over to the ring, Keyblade at the ready. Leopold was powerful enough on his own, and sparring with him was going to be way harder than it would be with just Yogi or Snagglepuss. But Huck was confident that he could win. He had a technique he'd been saving up, one that Reginald had been showing him.

Right as he started to make his way over to them, however, there was a blinding flash that filled the area behind him. Yogi's and Snagglepuss' eyes went wide, and Huck turned around to see what was going on.

There was a large white door sitting right in midair, bright white light spilling from it. Huck covered his eyes, and it was then that three screams filled his ears. He squinted at the light seeing three figures of various sizes appearing in the void. "What in the Sam Hill-"

That was all he got out before the three figures came barreling out of the void and crashed into him. The world briefly went alight with stars as all four of them hit the ground in a massive heap. Huck shook his head, the world spinning. A fourth figure stepped through the door, one that he immediately recognized as Alec. As soon as he stepped through, the door disappeared without a trace.

Boo-Boo raced over to his aid. "Are you alright, Huck?" he asked.

"Does anybody have an aspirin?" Huck moaned, feeling pain racing through his head. Whoever had fallen on his head was _heavy_, and he couldn't wait for them to get off of him.

"Ughh...you an' me both, pal," a high-pitched voice responded.

"Who are you guys?" Yogi asked.

"Oh, us?" another voice replied, this voice more deep and dopier-sounding. "We're the three Goofy Guards!"

To Huck's relief, they all jumped off of him to introduce themselves. Huck sat up, rubbing his head. "Phew...now I know how a pancake feels," he muttered. He turned around to face the people who'd fallen on him. Standing there were three dogs-one a large sheepdog with black hair falling over his face, the second a taller, skinny dog with purple fur, and the third a smaller dog with brown fur. "Y'all are the Goofy Guards?"

"Yep!" the purple-furred dog said. "I'm Yippee."

"I'm Yappee," the sheepdog replied.

"And I'm Yahooey," the short, brown-furred dog said. "Together, we protect the King and Queen from all threats!"

"Shouldn't y'all be doin' that right about now?" Huck asked.

"Well, we were," Yippee said. His smile faltered, before disappearing entirely. "But then the castle got run over by those Heartless..."

Everyone except Alec gasped. "Heavens to horrendous, that's terrible!" Snagglepuss cried.

"It was. And the King and Queen...they lost their hearts to those things," Yippee continued. He looked utterly sorrowful, and he took off his hat. "I-I tried to stop the Neoshadows, but I couldn't."

"Oh...shuckins, I'm right sorry about that," Huck replied.

"Yeah, we were done for," Yappee added.

"Yeah, until this wizard guy showed up," Yahooey said, pointing at Alec.

Alec groaned. "For the last time, I'm not a wizard," he said.

"Anyway, he came in and blasted those Neoshadows backwards with a huge wave of fire. And then he got us out by unlocking a door through the wall," Yahooey answered.

Yogi looked puzzled. "Unlocking a door through a wall?" he repeated.

Alec nodded. "One of the skills that you have when you use a Keyblade is the ability to cross between worlds without the worry of travel. Granted, you may need to use interstellar travel occasionally," he explained, "but if you're going to save these worlds, then learning this skill is necessary."

"So, there's a barrier that separates this world from theirs?" Boo-Boo asked, motioning to the Goofy Guards.

Alec nodded. "It also serves as a way to keep more Heartless from entering that world. Once a Keyhole, or the gateway to that world's Heart, is sealed, the Heartless can never come back in. Only a Keyblade Master can open and seal these," he said.

"What happens if the Heartless overrun that world's Heart?" Huck asked. "You told us what most of these here worlds are made of."

Alec started to answer, but it was Leopold who answered instead. "Then the world will crumble, and vanishes from existence," he answered. Everyone turned to face him and Reginald as they approached. "And once the Heartless devour the Heart of that world, they'll seek countless others, gaining stronger and stronger until they're almost unstoppable. And they ultimately seek out the largest Heart of them all-Kingdom Hearts."

"W-What happens when they eat that?" Yahooey asked.

Yippee shuddered. "I-I don't want to even think of what'll happen then," he said.

"So...since the Heartless overran our world, does that mean that it's doomed?" Yappee asked. "Does that mean that w-we'll never go home again?"

Alec sighed. "I'm not quite sure. I only arrived to assess the situation and see who all I could save."

Leopold glared at Alec. "I gave you no such order, Alec," Leopold said.

"Well, at least I decided to take action rather than sit back and worry," Alec shot back. When Leopold's glare hardened, he added, "Look, I know that I stepped outside of your rules. But...there is a possibility that we can save it. From what I saw, there weren't a lot of Heartless devouring that world, so I wouldn't count that out yet. But in order to save it, we need not only the Seven that will save this world, but the help of more Keyblade Warriors. And trust me, this world has plenty of them."

"I know," Leopold said. "But we can't count on every Keyblade Warrior to use their Keyblades to save the world. There are some who wish to use their Keyblades for evil."

"Let's hope that doesn't happen," Reginald said.

"Alec, I'll let this one slide," Leopold said, "but the rules of the Inner Circle are clear. We all have to come to a decision before we act."

"Yeah, and look what happened as a result," Alec snorted. "Worlds are being devoured, and some people are barely escaping with their lives. We'll have to act if we want to save the worlds."

"Unfortunately, we can't save every single one, Alec," Leopold said.

"But we can at least try!" Yippee cried.

"Wow, I wonder where he got that from?" Alec said, sending Leopold a knowing look.

Leopold sighed. "Either way, I know now that the gravity of this situation is too great. You must search for the remaining Five at once, or else we lose all chances of saving these worlds," he said.

"But what about Jellystone?" Boo-Boo asked. "We can't leave it to the Heartless!"

"Allow us to handle that for you," Reginald said. "Once we defeat the person guarding the Keyhole to it, we'll seal it so no other Heartless can enter it."

"There are people that guard these Keyholes?" Snagglepuss said.

"I would be surprised if there weren't," Reginald replied, shrugging. "But we'll find it, and we'll get rid of it." He turned towards Alec. "But for now..."

"Hmm? Ah, right," Alec said. "I've got to find the Keyhole that leads directly to New York City."

"Wouldn't the Keyhole at Jellystone Park lead to it?" Boo-Boo asked.

"Possibly, but this world of yours leads to many more worlds, so it's possible that the Keyhole in Jellystone Park could lead to another world," Alec said. "But...like Yippee said, it's worth a try."

"Then what are waitin' for? We've gotta get to New York City, and fast!" Yogi cried.

"Indeed," Reginald said. "Quickly, to Jellystone Park!"

* * *

**Unknown place**

Ranger Smith was awoken with a small rap to his head. Groaning with pain, he opened his eyes to see the last person he wanted to see at that moment. The Extinguisher was there, glaring down at him with those shadowed eyes.

"What do you want?" he spat angrily.

"It appears you'll be of use to me for a little while, Ranger Smith," the Extinguisher said. "The Two that have received their Keyblades, along with their allies, are planning to leave their world. I need to prevent them from ever leaving and getting to the rest of their friends. With them out of the way, the other Five will never meet, and the worlds will be devoured."

Ranger Smith stared at the man, horrified. This man, if he could even be called as such, was talking about the destruction of the world as casually as if he were talking about the weather. Not only that, but he was also talking about the deaths of people-specific people, if he was hearing it correctly. "W...What kind of a person are you?" he said. "Why would you want to destroy the world?!"

"Have you ever wanted power, Ranger Smith?" the Extinguisher asked, quickly changing the subject. "Have you ever wanted power so badly that you'd do anything to get it?"

"No, of course not!"

"Surely, you must have wanted something," the Extinguisher said. "Everyone wants something...something that will make them go to extreme lengths."

Ranger Smith thought for a moment. Back home at Jellystone Park, he wanted nothing more than to be rid of Yogi Bear for good. He'd caused him headache after headache for more than twenty years with his schemes, each one more daring than the last. He'd figured if Yogi moved away or something, then he'd be at peace.

But a part of him knew that wouldn't be true. The few times Yogi had stopped bothering him, he'd been bored out of his mind. Even with all his faults, Yogi was a good-natured person at heart, and Ranger Smith saw him as a good friend. Sure, they'd clash occasionally, but both of them knew that if push ever came to shove, they'd have each other's backs.

Ranger Smith sighed. "To be honest...not really," he said. It was as honest an answer as he could come up with. "I've been annoyed with a certain friend of mine, but I don't mind having him around."

The Extinguisher's mouth curled into a small smile. "Just like you to try and cover up the darkness in your heart," he said.

Ranger Smith's head snapped up to look at him, shocked. "W-What?"

"We all have darkness in us, Smith, some more than others," the Extinguisher said. "I don't doubt that you're a good person...but I doubt that your Heart is completely free of darkness." In a flash of light, his Keyblade materialized into his hands. "And I plan to use your darkness until my newest project is complete."

Ranger Smith had no time to say a word before the Extinguisher's Keyblade sunk into his chest. A gasp of agony escaped Ranger Smith's throat as searing pain tore through his chest. The Extinguisher turned the Keyblade, and Smith felt as though something had been unlocked in his heart. This time, he did scream as darkness seeped out of his chest, running up the length of the Extinguisher's Keyblade and into his arm. He then yanked the Keyblade out of his chest. There was no blood or even a mark to show that the Keyblade had entered his chest, but Smith still felt as though someone had stabbed him straight through the heart. He slumped to the floor, and the Extinguisher stood back, his arm coursing with black and purple energy.

"Hmm...it's not a lot of darkness, but it'll do for now," he said. He held his arm out to the side, and the darkness dripped to the floor like a wave of water. A few moments later, the darkness piled high into a column, and started to take shape into a human like form. The Extinguisher took a look at his creation and gave a small smile of approval. "They'll be surprised to see you, won't they, Ranger Smith?"

Ranger Smith coughed weakly, and raised his head to look at them. "Y-You...you _monster_..." he gasped weakly. "Y-You won't get away with this..."

"You think you can do anything to stop me?" The Extinguisher smirked cruelly. "You're powerless, weak without your so-called friend to help you. And now, you'll have the pleasure of watching him disappear for good. It's what you always wanted, isn't it? If you really think of it, I'm doing you a favor by ridding the world of his presence. Be sure to thank me for it when I'm done."

Ranger Smith attempted to crawl after the Extinguisher and his newly formed Heartless, but the Extinguisher snapped his fingers, and he and the Heartless disappeared in a wisp of dark smoke. Ranger Smith lay on the ground, weak and helpless, tears forming in his eyes. More than ever, he hoped that Yogi got his message and was making his way towards this awful place.

Because if he didn't, everyone was doomed...

* * *

**Jellystone Park**

Yogi sighed as he took in the sight of the ruined park. Branches and leaves were scattered all over the place, and there were several holes left in the ground from where the battle had taken place weeks before. Patches of burned land surrounded him everywhere, and there were abandoned firetrucks everywhere. On the ground were unconscious firefighters, hoses still gripped in their hands.

Seeing his home like this only tore a stab of pain through his heart. He should've been here helping save the park from the Heartless' rampage, but instead he'd taken off running like a coward. Now Ranger Smith was gone, as well as hundreds of others. And Cindy...he hadn't even thought about her until earlier today, but he hoped that she wasn't among the people who'd had their Hearts removed, or worse...

A hand settled on his shoulder. He looked over at Huck, who looked back at him with a sorrowful expression on his face. He too remembered the battle, and he looked just as shaken as he was. Yogi did the same, patting Huck on the shoulder in order to comfort him. Snagglepuss looked at them both with a similar expression, and Boo-Boo's gaze was focused on the damage, tears welling in his eyes.

"This is horrible," he said finally, wiping his eyes. "Why did this happen to our world of all places?"

"I don't know...but we're sure as heck gonna find out why," Huck said. He wiped his eyes as well and focused on the damage with a look of steely resolve. "Now I'm really mad."

"Yeah, me, too," Boo-Boo said.

"I'm with you, Boo-Boo," Yogi said. Bright flashes of light filled the air, and soon, Snagglepuss, Huck and Yogi all had their Keyblades. "Let's find that Keyhole and get this world back to normal."

With that, all four of them made their way inside the park, keeping close together.

* * *

Hidden behind a cluster of leaves, a figure watched the four travelers make their way through the ruined forest, smirking. It was clear that they were newly-minted Keyblade Masters; they should've sensed his presence by now. But there was no need to worry, however. He wouldn't be dealing with them, since he had business elsewhere. They'd meet him later, when the time was right.

His new creation, on the other hand, would do the greeting for him.

With a cruel smirk, the Extinguisher disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

* * *

"Yogi, do you really think that we'll find the Keyhole to Jellystone Park here?" Boo-Boo asked as they walked along.

"I do, Boo-Boo," Yogi said. "I don't know how, but the thing is, we've gotta find it, or else more of those Heartless will take over the world!"

"And they'll devour the whole place, too," Huck said. "You two'll never go back home..." He sighed. "I wonder if I'll ever go back home."

"Don't worry, Huck," Boo-Boo said. "You probably will. Maybe after we lock up this Keyhole, we'll see if we can find another that leads to yours."

Huck smiled. "Thanks for cheerin' me up, Boo-Boo."

"Hello, what's this?" Snagglepuss asked aloud, looking at one of the largest trees in the area. There was a large hole in the bark, one that looked large enough to fit a key through. "Hey, guys, come over here!"

Boo-Boo, Huck and Yogi did, running over to the spot. "What do you think, guys?" Snagglepuss asked. "I think it might be a Keyhole."

"Hmm...reckon there's only one way ta find out for sure," Huck said, pulling out his Keyblade. "Maybe we can free this world from the Heartless if it is."

Everyone stepped back as Huck approached the tree. He raised his Keyblade in the air, and like a magnet drawn to a metal surface, the Keyblade started to be dragged towards the opening. Huck held onto the hilt with both hands, but he still found himself flying through the air.

"HUCK!" everyone yelled.

"It's alright, fellers," Huck said, calm as ever. "I reckon Snag was right 'bout this here-"

_Clang._

Huck stopped short, realizing that he had hit something. Upon hearing his friends gasp, he turned around to see if the Keyblade had hit the inside of the tree trunk.

It hadn't. What the Keyblade had hit was a hand-a hand that had appeared out of nowhere, that had appeared from the very tree that they'd been at a few moments ago. It was black and purple, and rippled with energy. Not a single cut could be seen anywhere on it.

Huck had no time to react. With superhuman strength, the hand in the tree lifted him into the air and flung him backwards. He crashed into his friends, knocking them down like bowling pins. Pain exploded through his head for the second time that day, and he groaned in pain.

"Ugh...e-everyone alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, mostly," Boo-Boo replied.

"Heavens to Murgatroyd! What is _that_?!" Snagglepuss shouted.

Huck looked up then, as did Yogi and Boo-Boo. The hand from the tree removed itself, revealing an arm, a shoulder, a neck, and then a face, followed by the rest of its body. Everyone stared in shock as the figure peeled itself from the tree like tape and got to a hulking stance, its arms drooping at its sides. In its right hand was Huck's Keyblade.

Huck jumped to his feet-an action that made his head spin briefly. Before he could say anything, the Keyblade disappeared from the Heartless' hands in a flash of light. Just as quickly, it plopped neatly in Huck's hands from the sky. Huck stared at it in surprise.

"Reckon these things can't be used by a Heartless," Huck said.

"Well, this one looks pretty harmless," Snagglepuss observed, his Keyblade at the ready. "This shouldn't take too long, right, Yogi?"

Yogi didn't answer. He was too busy looking at the Heartless in front of him, his eyes wide with both horror and recognition. He knew that face anywhere.

"R-Ranger Smith?" he gasped.

Huck, Boo-Boo and Snagglepuss turned to face him. "Ranger Smith?!" they all repeated.

"T-That's Ranger Smith...h-he got turned into a Heartless..." Yogi stammered out, not believing what he was seeing. It wasn't true. This had to be some cruel joke. Ranger Smith was always on his case about stealing picnic baskets, but when the chips were down, he'd always come around and give him a hand. He was a caring person at the core. He'd never attack them. _Never_.

"That's impossible, unbelievable, even!" Snagglepuss cried, stepping back in horror.

"R-Ranger Smith would never attack us, Yogi!" Boo-Boo said.

"But what are we supposed to do?" Huck asked. He too was backing away in horror. "Iffin' he's still in thar, we could hurt him, or even worse..."

Nobody needed an explanation on how things could be worse. The four turned back towards the Heartless Ranger, who stalked over to them. They were definitely in a tight spot. They knew that they had to destroy the Heartless, but...what if they lost their friend forever, with no way of bringing him back?

They paid dearly for their hesitation. The Heartless Ranger rushed forwards, a baton springing to life in its hands, and swung down on Yogi. On pure instinct, he raised his Keyblade in the air to block the strike. The ensuing crash resounded through the forest and rattled Yogi to his bones.

Huck turned towards Snagglepuss, who looked at him with a look of sorrowful resignation. Huck nodded back and turned back to face the battle. The Heartless Ranger had made their decision for them; they had no choice but to fight now.

The Heartless Ranger jumped back down a few meters, his glowing yellow eyes glaring at the four of them. Huck and Snagglepuss flanked Yogi on both sides, Keyblades at the ready. Yogi took a deep breath and got into a battle stance as well. He only hoped that the ranger would be alright after his defeat.

Like an unwound coil, the Heartless charged at them, and soon, the battle was on.

* * *

**Hoagy's Alley, New York**

_What kind of dream is this? _Top Cat pondered aloud, looking around at his surroundings. A few moments ago, he'd been in the middle of a great dream: living the life in a Manhattan penthouse, dressed in designer clothes, surrounded with stacks of money and gold, and his gang eating to their hearts' contents all while playing pool. The next thing he'd known, that dream had simply vanished into thin air, and he'd found himself all alone in the middle of a black void.

The only thing he was standing on was a strange stain-glass window. It was a dark purple, and decorated on its surface was a young, blonde haired man that he didn't recognize, dressed in white and green clothes. On the other side of the window was a figure wearing all black. The hood he wore concealed his face, but his face revealed a stubble of gray hair. In the center of the stain-glass window, there were three smaller circles, each with a different man's face: the first man had messy hair and sharp eyes; the second man had long hair and a fiery gaze; and the third had short, spiky hair and hard, focused eyes. The backdrop showed a city bathed in white.

It was a nice picture and all, but Top Cat had no interest in it. He wanted to hurry up and get back to his dream-

_"The Door has been opened, my friend..."_

Top Cat looked around, but he saw nobody there. "Alright, what's goin' on?"

_"The Door has been opened, and only you can close it..."_

A bright flash of light appeared, and Top Cat barely had time to catch the Keyblade he'd acquired. Once again, the voice boomed from the heavens. _"Now, to test your strength...seal the Door shut."_

Top Cat was starting to feel annoyed. This voice wasn't giving him any answers-it was giving him some stupid riddle. He started to open his mouth to give that voice an earful when a flash of light appeared in front of his face. It was so blinding that he had to cover his eyes.

When the light subsided, he slowly uncovered his eyes to see a door. A large white door, that was swinging open. And behind that door was a void just as black as the area around him, except that it was swirling with purple energy.

Before Top Cat could react, a wave of strange monsters poured from the door, most of them trying to trample each other to the ground. They rushed towards him in a mass, claws outstretched and ready to shred him to pieces.

On pure instinct, Top Cat swung the sword at them, and several of them were knocked backwards by the impact of the blade. Seeing as more of them were still coming at him, he swung more and more, sending them flying left and right and every which way he could imagine. While his strategy seemed to work for the most part, Top Cat knew he couldn't keep up the momentum forever; there were thousands of these things, and unless he closed that door, they'd overwhelm him and trample him to death.

Thinking fast, he dove through the wave of Heartless, crawling most of the way there, and swatting aside any Heartless that came his way with the Keyblade. When he finally got to the center, the Heartless had increased in number, and were only starting to grow stronger. Top Cat looked up at the open door. _If I can close that thing...that should put an end to this!_

He attempted to get up, only for a loud, rumbling sound to come from inside the door. He looked up again, and a wave of darkness poured from the door. In less than a second, he was overwhelmed, smothered to the point where he could hardly breathe...

_"Hey, T.C.!"_

Top Cat jolted out of sleep at that, the voice from outside pulling him from his dream. He shook his head to regain his bearings. _What kinda dream was that?_

"Hey, T.C.? You awake?" Choo-Choo's voice came into the fray next. "Ah, maybe we should come back later, Benny."

Top Cat sighed. He pulled himself out of the trash can, looking down at Benny and Choo-Choo. "Alright, you two. What's the big deal with interruptin' my sleep?" he asked. Not that he didn't mind the interruption, but it was still a small annoyance.

"Sorry, T.C., but there's been talk 'bout the NYPD clampin' down on security lately, with the Heartless bein' around..."

"Yeah, an' we've spotted some officers hangin' around our usual spots," Choo-Choo said.

Top Cat sighed. "Talk about a great start to our day, huh? Well, lucky for us, I know a few other places where we can get down ta business, so to speak." He smirked. "An' our good friend Officer Dibble doesn't know about 'em."

"You want me ta call the others, T.C.?" Choo-Choo asked.

"Thanks for the offer, Chooch, but I'll do it," Top Cat said, reaching for the two lids behind his home. "Need to give these arms a workout, anyway."

The loud clanging did its job in less than a minute. Soon, Fancy-Fancy, Spook and the Brain were all in the alley, standing at attention (or in Brain's case, attempting to) next to Benny and Choo-Choo.

Benny turned towards Top Cat with a smile. "All present and accounted for, T.C.!" he announced.

Top Cat nodded. "Alright, boys, listen up. Benny an' Chooch told me that the NYPD's on high alert in case any of those Heartless show their faces around here. An' most of the areas we need are swarmed with 'em. So we're gonna have to conduct business elsewhere."

"What's the plan, T.C.?" Fancy-Fancy asked.

"I've got one so good, it'll have old Dibble reelin' for days," Top Cat said. He paused, and then looked at Benny. "You haven't seen Dibble around, have ya?"

"Nope. Usually he's on patrol right about now," Benny answered.

That was surprising to Top Cat, as it was rare for Dibble to not be out on his beat. "Probably he got called to help out the other officers," he said. "Well, looks like we'll have ta keep an eye for cops other than Dibble today. Now, here's what we're gonna do..."

* * *

_In the heart of New York City..._

Charlie Dibble sighed deeply as he took another sip from his cup of espresso. Sure, it was high on the calories, but he needed something to keep him warm. Winters in New York could be brutal, with temperatures sometimes dipping below zero.

Thankfully, this was not one of those mornings, but it was still cold regardless.

He looked across the street, seeing several officers on patrol. He'd been about to go on his regular beat, too, only to get a call from Officer Mahoney telling him that they needed him. So far, there was no suspicious activity, but the sergeant wasn't convinced.

When news of the attacks had reached America, Dibble had thought that they were nothing more than scares...until he started seeing the news footage and then heard of the incidents happening farther south along the East Coast. From what he'd seen, there had been no warning. Their attacks had been sudden, swift and deadly. He could see why the nation was on high alert-nothing like this had ever set foot on their borders.

What startled Dibble the most was that these attacks would occur anywhere. A part of him wished he was on his beat; it would've given him a good chance to checking on Top Cat and his gang. As much as they annoyed him, he couldn't imagine the city without them around.

He took a third sip of his rapidly cooling espresso. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Jellystone Park**

Each strike of the baton slammed down on Yogi's Keyblade, rattling his bones and making it harder to keep up his guard. On the outside of the field, his friends were pulling themselves back together. The Heartless Ranger had made short work of both Snagglepuss and Huck, who'd both rushed in to protect him from the first array of savage blows. As for Boo-Boo, he'd been thrown against a tree.

"Guys! I could use a little help over here!" Yogi called out, managing to push the Heartless back a few feet. This did nothing to deter it, however, as it came at him again. A fierce duel erupted on the field, with Yogi parrying and deflecting the Ranger's frenzied thrusts. So far, he was holding out, but it wouldn't be long before he was overrun.

"Hang on, Yogi!" Huck said. He charged at the Ranger from behind, his face set into a determined expression."You go on' an' open that thar Keyhole. Snag an' I will handle this!"

The Ranger barely had time to block Huck's overhead strike. Snagglepuss appeared next to Yogi, Starstruck raised high into the air. _"Thunder!"_ he cried out.

A small line of lightning dropped down on the Heartless Ranger. It stumbled forwards with the impact of the strike, and Snagglepuss cried out, "Now, Huck! Before he tries to come back!"

Huck didn't have to be told twice. A deft swing of his Keyblade sent the Heartless spinning into a tree. It crashed through the bark with a satisfying thud.

"Do ya think that stopped 'im?" Huck asked.

"No," Yogi said. His expression was remorseful. "But it bought us some time, old pal of mine."

Huck nodded. Fighting the Heartless Ranger had been bad for him too, but he could see that it was affecting Yogi even worse. Patting his friend on the shoulder, he said, "Let's go an' open that Keyhole."

"Yeah." Yogi took another look at the Heartless Ranger's writhing form and followed Huck over to the tree where it had first appeared. Memories of Ranger Smith poured into his mind, which only served to make him feel worse.

No sooner had Huck started to raise his Keyblade to the tree trunk than a loud wrenching sound was heard. Boo-Boo shuddered in fear, his eyes wide. "Y-Yogi..."

Yogi turned around to face the Heartless Ranger, and stared in shock. The Heartless was standing upright, as it had ripped the very tree it'd crashed into cleanly in half . One half was on the ground, but the other was in its right arm. With unearthly strength, it hurled the rendered tree at the three Keyblade Wielders.

Snagglepuss and Huck were frozen with fear, but Yogi stepped forwards and swung at the tree. Splinters and shreds of tree bark rained down on everyone as Yogi cleaved the tree in half. The pieces hit either side of the team.

Boo-Boo stared at his best friend, shocked. "H-How did you do that?" he asked.

"I'd sure like to know!" Yogi replied, watching as the Heartless Ranger charged at him again. There was no time to remain idle this time; baton and Keyblade clashed against each other, sending sparks raining on the ground. Yogi matched the Ranger's ferocity with his own strength, putting all of his weight down on the baton to make him break his defensive.

The Heartless Ranger moved back a few feet, but Yogi advanced on him, bringing his Keyblade down on the baton. With the force and strength combined, the baton snapped in half and disappeared from sight. It stared at Yogi, who then pointed his Keyblade at it.

_"Blizzard!"_

A wave of ice slammed into the Heartless Ranger, sending him flying into another tree. The blast of cold air and ice began to spread across his body, encasing him in a sheet of ice.

After the ice faded away, Snagglepuss raised his Keyblade next. "Now, let's finish this off once and for all," he said. "Huck, I could use your help. Yogi, do you think you have enough power in your Keyblade for one more attack?"

Yogi nodded wordlessly. Together, all three of them started to move towards the Heartless Ranger. A few feet away from it, a loud snap filled their ears. All three of them paused, their muscles tense with anxiety. The ice that was covering the Heartless started to crack.

"You got somethin' in mind, Snag?" Huck asked.

"Yeah. Yogi and I will use magic attacks on it to weaken it," Snagglepuss said. "After that, you go up and finish it, Huck."

Huck had to admit, it wasn't too bad of a plan, but seeing Yogi's hardened face made him second guess himself. "Ya sure this'll get Ranger Smith back to his senses, Snag? After all, he might end up gettin' hurt..."

"I do admit, it's dangerous, brutish, even. But alas, we don't have much of a choice," Snagglepuss remarked. "He might get seriously injured, but..."

"At least he'll be alive afterwards," Yogi finished. His eyes narrowed even more as the Heartless Ranger burst out of his cage, a scream of rage filling the air. "Alright, you guys! Remember the plan!"

His final warning came not a moment too soon. The Heartless Ranger charged at the three of them, a baton materializing in its hands.

Yogi and Snagglepuss quickly got into their positions. Raising his Keyblade high into the air, Snagglepuss called out the name of his attack. _"Thunder!"_

Hardening his resolve, Yogi too raised his Keyblade into the air. _"Fire!"_

A razor-thin bolt of lightning, followed by several fireballs, rained from the sky and slammed into the Heartless Ranger, knocking it down flat on its back.

"Now, Huck!" Snagglepuss shouted. "Before it gets back up!"

Huck sent the Heartless Ranger a small, sympathetic glance. "I'm a might sorry about this..." he said. He pointed his glowing Keyblade at the Heartless. _"Light Flare!"_

There was a blinding flash, and then another loud explosion filled the air as a beam of light shot from the blade and embedded itself in the Heartless Ranger's chest. All present had to cover their eyes due to the sheer intensity of the light. A keening scream came from the Heartless below as it writhed from the contact of the light. Boo-Boo and Yogi stared at the sight with anxious expressions, while Huck had his eyes screwed shut, not wanting to see what his attack was doing to the Heartless.

In less than a few seconds, the screaming stopped, and the light disappeared. Huck cautiously cracked open an eye. "Did...did it work...?" he asked.

Boo-Boo gasped. "What in the world...? Where's Ranger Smith?" he said.

Huck turned around fully then, and his eyes went wide. Indeed, the Heartless Ranger was gone, the only trace of his being there being a burned patch of land. But Ranger Smith was nowhere to be seen.

Huck's eyes widened. "But...wasn't that supposed ta free 'im? I thought that our combination attack would free him from that!" he protested.

"It didn't, obviously!" Snagglepuss pointed out. "It erased him from existence!"

Silence filled the air as that sentence sank in. Boo-Boo looked over at Yogi, who looked stricken with horror. "Yogi..."

"I thought for sure that our plan would work," Yogi said, shaking his head. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be. He'd thought that his plan to save Ranger Smith would succeed. He'd thought that he'd be able to save another good friend of his, as many of his other friends were probably swallowed by the darkness covering the world. But now...

Huck let out a cry of shock, and Yogi whirled around, Keyblade at the ready. If anybody tried anything foolish, his Keyblade would meet their face before they had time to blink. He paused, however, when he saw that Huck was being dragged back to the tree where they'd found the Keyhole. Holding onto the hilt with both hands, Huck held the sword tightly as a thin beam of light shot out of the sword and into the tree trunk. A glowing keyhole appeared a second later, and a loud _ka-clink_ filled their ears, like a door being unlocked.

The world went gold as a large portal appeared in front of the Keyhole. Huck had no time to say anything to anybody-the gravity from the door sucked him inside, and he hurtled through the portal, Keyblade spinning in the air.

"HUCK!" Yogi rushed towards the portal to reach his friend. Boo-Boo and Snagglepuss shouted his name moments later, but that was quickly drowned out by the rushing winds of the portal. Blinding light filled his eyes and the gravity of the portal stole his breath away. Behind him, he heard Snagglepuss and Boo-Boo screaming, and in front of him, Huck was getting farther and father away.

_I sure hope this portal leads us to the right place..._

* * *

**Hoagy's Alley, New York**

"Hey, T.C.! You won't believe this!" Benny exclaimed, rushing into the alley.

His leader and best friend looked over at Benny, irritation on his face. So far, his plans to conduct business elsewhere had been foiled-either Dibble had alerted everyone to be on the watch for him and his gang, or they were acting on pent-up paranoia, because he'd had to avoid ten police officers.

If it proved to be the latter, Dibble was going to have _a lot _to answer for.

"What's goin' on now, Benny?" he asked. If this turned out to be another bad report...

"Huck an' Yogi are in town!" he said.

Top Cat couldn't help his eyes widening in surprise, the skepticism wiped off his face. "They are?"

"Yeah! They jus' showed up outta nowhere! They're by Schultz's old shop!"

"And you just left them there?" Top Cat inquired, walking over to the small blue cat. "For shame, Benny! Huck and Yogi are old pals of ours!"

"Yeah, but you won't believe how they got here, T.C.!" Benny continued breathlessly.

Top Cat was about to say more, but that was when he heard a very familiar off-key tune: _"Oh, my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my daaaarrlin' what's-her-naaame..."_

He cringed at first, but he couldn't help but smile as Huck came around the corner with Yogi, Snagglepuss and Boo-Boo. At least one thing hadn't changed today. "Huck! It's been forever since ya last showed your face around here," he greeted.

Huck tipped his hat towards the feline. "Howdy, T.C., Benny," he said, looking over at Benny. "Where's everybody else?"

"Well, business is going kinda slow today, so I think they're still out and about," Top Cat replied. "But I'm more surprised that you all are here. Normally, you guys call before comin' all the way up here."

Huck chuckled nervously. "Well, this time we kinda had to come on short notice," he said. "We came here 'cause we have a lot of stuff ta talk about."

Top Cat and Benny looked at each other, and then back at their friends. Something about this whole thing was setting Top Cat on edge, but he couldn't quite put his name on it. "Okay...what kind of stuff are we talkin' about, for starters?" he asked.

Snagglepuss snapped his fingers, and the whole alley filled with light. Top Cat groaned as he covered his eyes. "Geez, guys, what's with the-"

The light died down just as quickly as it had appeared, and Benny gasped aloud. Top Cat uncovered his eyes, and he couldn't help but stare in shock at the Keyblades in Yogi's, Huck's and Snagglepuss's hands.

Huck was right-they _did _have a lot to talk about.

* * *

_**Finally, finally, finally, I got this chapter done! There was a lot more that I wanted to cover, but I figured this chapter is long enough as it is, and that it doesn't need to get to the level that "Protector"'s supposed "final" chapter almost was-and for your information, it was 30,000 words long.**_

**_You see, the problem with writing a story from the seat of your pants is that you have to come up with what's going to happen along the way. I spent months after posting chapter 6 trying to figure out what would happen next, and I didn't want to throw in a whole bunch of random things that don't have anything to do with Kingdom Hearts. Most of you know I'm pretty well-versed with H-B stuff (although I'm still going through the superhero era to get a better idea of what these people were like), but I'm still going through the KH lore, as I've only played through part of the first game and I don't accidentally set off any die-hard KH fans. I admit, I came up with the idea thanks to CooperGal24's drawings making me think "Wouldn't it be cool if Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear had Keyblades?" The research bit is kinda tiring, but also fun, since now I really, really want to play more of the series itself._**

**_The characters that had their worlds swallowed up (Touche, Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse) will have roles in the upcoming chapters. As for why Peter Potamus, So-So, and the Goofy Guards were spared, it's because I had an idea for them that'll come up later-plus, I enjoy their characters in the series they come from anyway. Peter's Keyblade is one that I came up with myself, inspired by his travels in the series: its full name is "Globetrotter", but I may change it later. And the Goofy Guards might get Keyblades of their own as well, though that's to be determined in the next chapters._**

**_The inspiration for the Heartless Ranger came from reading some information on Anti-Sora on the KH Wiki. Rather than getting turned into a Heartless, the Extinguisher created a Heartless copy of the Ranger using the darkness in his heart. His reason for doing this is to mess with Yogi and the others all in the name of fun. Needless to say, Yogi is going to be very angry when he finds out that he did this. _**

**_Top Cat was kinda hard to pull off in this chapter. As much as I love T.C., he's one of the more challenging characters I've ever written in fanfiction, since he's one of the more well-defined H-B characters and I don't want to do anything to mess that up. Hopefully, I'll have T.C.'s character down pat during the next parts of the story, although I did warn that some characters may get a bit OOC due to the stuff that happens._**

**_This chapter was originally called "Havoc in Hoagy's Alley", but I changed it when I realized what I wanted in the chapter. Next chapter, though, is definitely going to live up to its name. And this time, I'm not going to tell you what's going on. :D_**

**_Constructive criticism on this story is most appreciated. It really helps me grow better as a writer, and while I love reviews saying "keep up the good work", actual criticism would help a lot. Flames, however, will be deleted._**

**_Anyways, see you around! _**

**_God bless, iheartgod175_**


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